India's coal imports fall 5.83%, imports for power plant blending drop 35.23%: Coal Ministry

The ministry said the overall reduction of 6.48 MT reflected efforts to increase domestic coal production, improve availability and strengthen supply chains to reduce dependence on imported fuel.

"The decline in overall coal imports, particularly imports for blending at domestic coal-based power plants, underscores the importance of strengthening domestic production, transportation and supply-chain infrastructure," the ministry said.

According to the release, coal imports by the power sector declined by 6.39 per cent to 21.32 MT from 22.77 MT a year earlier.

Imports for blending at domestic coal-based power plants recorded a sharper decline of 35.23 per cent, falling to 3 MT from 4.64 MT.

The ministry said, "This reduction indicates lower import requirements for blending and is consistent with efforts to improve the availability of domestic coal for power generation."

However, imports by imported coal-based power plants increased marginally by 0.98 per cent to 18.31 MT from 18.13 MT. These plants are designed to operate primarily on imported coal.

The share of imported coal in India's total coal consumption also declined to 19.30 per cent from 21.20 per cent, a reduction of 1.90 percentage points.

Coking coal imports, primarily used by the steel industry, fell by 4.18 per cent to 27.30 MT from 28.49 MT.

The ministry noted that domestic availability of coking coal remains constrained by the quality and characteristics of indigenous reserves, making imports necessary to meet the steel sector's requirements.

The ministry said it continues to focus on increasing domestic production, improving coal transportation infrastructure and monitoring stocks at thermal power plants.

It is also coordinating with the Ministry of Railways, Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries to ensure timely coal supplies to power utilities and reduce avoidable import dependence while supporting uninterrupted power generation. (ANI)