NTPC misses coal import target in FY09

Power producer National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) could not meet its coal import target of 8.2 million tonnes in 2008-09, managing to import 7.4 million tonnes during the fiscal.

"We have imported around 7.4 million tonnes of coal in fiscal 2008-09. (Of which) about 6.4 million tonnes was delivered during the last fiscal and about 1 million tonnes, for which orders were placed in 2008-09, is in transit," NTPC CMD R S Sharma said.

He said, "My focus is on augmenting domestic supplies as it meets 92 per cent of NTPC's coal requirement. That is why we have planned to develop coal mines here in India as well as abroad."

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This fiscal, NTPC's has set a target of importing 12.5 million tonnes of dry fuel, which would be equivalent of 18.75 million tonnes of the domestic coal due to its high calorific value.

The coal requirement of NTPC is estimated at 150 million tonnes this fiscal. It would add around 3,300 Mw during 2009-10 by commissioning five projects — Sipat Stage-I (1,320 Mw), Kahalgaon Stage II (500 Mw), Korba Stage III (500 Mw) and Dadri (Coal) Stage II (980 Mw).

The company is pursuing coal block acquisition in Indonesia and Mozambique and is also exploring opportunities in Australia and Canada through International Coal Ventures, a JV among SAIL, NMDC, CIL and Rashtriya Ispat formed for scouting coal properties abroad.