Coal India's supply to power sector up 8% at 360 mn tonne in Apr-Dec 2018

State-owned Coal India supplied 360 million tonne (MT) coal to the power sector during April-December 2018, an increase of 7.9 cent over the year-ago period, according to official data.

Coal India Ltd (CIL) had dispatched 333.4 MT of dry fuel during the corresponding nine months of 2017.

The PSU giant's coal supply in December 2018 was 1.9 per cent higher at 42.4 MT, over 41.6 MT in the corresponding month a year ago, the latest data by the coal ministry showed.

The supply of coal by Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) increased by 3.3 per cent to 40 MT in the April-December period of 2018, against 38.7 MT in the same nine months of the previous year.

SCCL fuel supply in December rose by 2 per cent to 5 MT, compared to 4.9 MT in the corresponding month of 2017.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy last month met Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and demanded the Centre must ensure immediate supply of the fossil fuel to Raichur Thermal Power Station.

Earlier this month, Goyal had said the country faces no shortage of coal and production has witnessed an increase of 7.4 per cent in April-December period of the ongoing fiscal.

He, however, said that coal production did not go up in the past because of delays in environmental clearances, land acquisition and other problems.

Goyal said Coal India's production increased by 104 MT in the last four years between 2014-15 and 2017-18.