Coal India informed on Monday that its coal production rose 6.4 per cent on a year-over-year basis to 49.8 million tonnes (MT) in October. The company in a regulatory filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange stated that production stood at 46.8 MT in the comparative period last year.
The development assumes significance in the wake of the country's power plants facing fuel shortages. Total coal production by the company between April to October rose 5.9 per cent to 299.6 MT against 282.8 MT recorded in the comparative period last year.
In a tweet, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi appreciated the efforts of Coal India towards assuring energy security of the country and encouraged the employees of the public sector undertaking to attain the one-billion-tonne coal production mark.
The company accounts for over 80 per cent of the total domestic coal output. It aims to achieve one billion tonnes of output by 2023-24. The company had stepped up the fuel supply to meet the increased demand of the power sector and arrest shortages at thermal power plants caused due to the rising cost of imported coal.
The government had said the coal supply to thermal power plants (TPPs) has been rising consistently, which is evident from the rise in stock at the power plants' end.
As per a report of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the coal stock with power plants stood at 9.03 million tonnes as of October 26.
(With inputs from PTI)
