Coal supply to power sector up 6% to 370 mt in Apr-Feb

State-run miner Coal India supplied 370.80 million tonnes of fuel to the power sector during April-February this fiscal, higher by 6.4 per cent than that in the same period last year. Coal India (CIL), which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal production, had dispatched 348.34 million tonnes (mt) of the dry fuel during April-February 2014-15.

The dispatches by CIL in February also increased marginally by 1.8 per cent to 33.929 mt compared to 33.337 mt in the same month of 2015, according to the official data. Coal dispatches rose during the period under review on the back of increase in production of CIL and improvement in evacuation of the dry fuel, according to industry analysts. CIL has achieved 9.2 per cent increase in production this year so far, against an average of 3 per cent growth over the last five years. Fuel supply by Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) in April-February 2015-16 increased by 23 per cent to 43.098 mt, over 35.034 mt in the same period last fiscal, the official data showed.

The government is targeting coal production of 1.5 billion tonnes by 2020. Of this, Coal India is looking at an output target of one billion tonnes. The government is aiming to provide 24x7 power by 2019 by creating cost-effective infrastructure which will be sustainable and inclusive of clean energy solutions.