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Coal stock depletion at India's power plants has slowed by more than 50 per cent in October compared to September, supported by improved supplies and railway transportation, although inventories are yet to begin recovering, the Ministry of Coal said on Friday.
According to an official release, the daily drawdown of coal stocks declined from 0.243 million tonnes (MT) in September to 0.116 MT in October, indicating that the pressure on inventories has eased but not fully subsided. The Ministry stated, "Stock depletion has slowed sharply, with the daily drawdown falling by more than half from 0.243 MT/day in September to 0.116 MT/day in October." It added, "The position is therefore stabilising, although stock rebuilding is yet to commence." The clarification comes amid media reports raising concerns over possible power shortages as coal inventories at several power plants have fallen to critical levels. The Ministry clarified that the classification of a power plant under the "critical stock" category does not necessarily indicate an immediate threat to electricity generation. "A plant appearing on this list is, by design, an early-warning entry and not an indication that it has run out of coal or is at imminent risk of shutting down," it said. Coal supplies to the power sector have improved significantly since September, with daily supplies rising around 36 per cent from the month's lowest level. Average supplies in October are also about 9 per cent higher than in September. Railway transportation has strengthened, with coal loading averaging over 465 rakes per day in October. The Ministry said the 470-rake daily target was achieved on three consecutive days, while supplies through road and other modes have also improved. Looking ahead, the Ministry expects coal inventories to stabilise further as the monsoon recedes and peak electricity demand moderates by mid-October. It stated that "sustained loading of 465475 rakes per day should support further stabilisation and enable stock rebuilding ahead of the festive, winter and subsequent summer demand periods." The Ministry also said it is closely monitoring power plants with critical coal stocks and redistributing supplies based on requirements to vulnerable stations. It added that it is coordinating with the Ministries of Railways and Power to ensure coal availability does not constrain electricity generation anywhere in the country. (ANI)
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