New Delhi: Daily coal supplies to the power sector have risen around 36 percent from September’s low, slowing the depletion of inventories at power plants, the Coal Ministry said on Friday. However, stocks are yet to start rebuilding.
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“Stock depletion has slowed sharply, with the daily drawdown falling by more than half from 0.243 MT per day in September to 0.116 MT per day in October. The position is therefore stabilising, although stock rebuilding is yet to commence,” the ministry said in a statement.
Rail loading has averaged over 465 rakes a day in October, with the target of 470 rakes achieved on three consecutive days. Supplies through other modes, including road, have also improved, it added.
Responding to media reports linking falling coal inventories to a growing risk of power shortages, the ministry said the “critical stock” classification was an early-warning mechanism, rather than evidence of an imminent shutdown.
The tag applies to plants holding less than the prescribed threshold of normative coal stocks and is intended to flag potential pressure before an actual fuel shortage or generation loss occurs, it said.
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A plant’s inclusion on the list does not mean it has exhausted its coal supply or faces an immediate shutdown, the ministry added.
The ministry said inventory levels should be assessed alongside the recovery in supplies since September’s trough.
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