CIL to import thermal coal for NTPC

State-run Coal India will import four million tonnes of thermal coal to meet the requirement of public sector power producer NTPC.

"CIL is going to import 4 million tonnes of thermal coal for NTPC this fiscal. Tender will be floated in November and we expect the coal supply in January next year," Coal India Director (Technical) N C Jha told reporters on sidelines of a coal summit here.

He said that the total coal import requirement of the power sector in this fiscal is 22 million tonnes.

The country's total coal import in this fiscal is going to be around 60 million tonnes compared to 57 million tonnes in the last fiscal, Jha said.

About the CIL's coal production, he said it has produced 189 million tonnes of coal in the first half out of a target of 435 million tonnes this fiscal.

"The remaining production target will be met in the second half as normally 65 per cent of the total target is met during the second half," Jha added.

According to CIL, of 435 million tonnes, 313 million tonnes of coal produced by the company will be for the power sector requirement.

Last financial year, CIL produced 403.7 million tonnes of coal, he said.