CIL to import 4 million tonnes coal for NTPC

The country's largest coal miner Coal India (CIL) will import 4 million tonnes of coal for state-run power company NTPC.

"Earlier, there were no takers for the imported coal. Now NTPC has asked us to import 4 million tonnes of coal for their utilities," Coal India Chairman P S Bhattacharyya told reporters here.

However, the coal major said, it is yet to receive a formal letter from NTPC in this regard. "The company is expected to write to us regarding the same soon," he said.

CIL had set a target to import 4 million tonnes of coal for the current fiscal. However, earlier this week, it had set that it may not be shipping any coal in the country as its domestic output would be enough to meet the local demand.

NTPC requires 150 million tonnes of coal during the current financial year to fire its power plants and it plans to import 12.5 million tonnes of the dry fuel from overseas.

Further, Bhattacharyya said a policy of washing coal should be approved to reduce the ash content of the dry fuel and reduce the price gap in comparison to international coal.

"Policy of washing coal should be approved. If more coal is washed here, there would be lesser gap between domestic and international coal prices," he said.

CIL's coal prices are in the range of Rs 448-Rs 2,500 per tonne, up to 50 per cent less than international rates, he said.