Adequate coal stocks to meet rising energy needs: Govt

NEW DELHI: With India's coal production crossing the one-billion-tonne mark for the second year in a row, govt has said adequate stocks are being maintained at thermal power plants to meet rising energy demands.India reached the one-billion-tonne coal production level on March 20. It had recorded its highest-ever coal production of 1,048 million tonnes in the 2024-25 financial year. "This significant milestone underscores India's growing self-reliance in the energy sector and its commitment to ensuring uninterrupted fuel supply to key industries," the ministry of coal said in a statement.The ministry added that enhanced and sustained coal production levels have enabled the country to effectively meet rising energy demands and allowed the power sector to maintain record stock levels at coal-based thermal power plants.Earlier this month, govt recorded 200MT of coal production from commercial and captive coal mines.While more than 53 MT of coal are available at thermal power plants - enough to meet demand for nearly 23 days at the current rate of consumption - pithead coal reserves at various captive and commercial mines are estimated at about 147 MT, besides stocks in transit, at ports and in storage. According to the Central Electricity Authority, power demand this year is likely to touch 265-270GW - higher quantities of coal are required during the summer months as electricity demand surges due to increased use of ACs. Though the share of renewables has reached nearly 52%, coal-based thermal power continues to dominate India's electricity generation, with almost 250 GW of installed capacity.