Coal Min to review fuel stock situation at power plants

State-owned CIL will spend Rs 5,000 crore to purchase 250 rail rakes for faster evacuation of dry fuel from mines

With almost half the thermal power stations in the country left with less than a week's coal stock, the Coal Ministry has called a meeting to review the fuel position at the plants.

"Additional Secretary Coal has convened a meeting this week to take review the position of coal at critical power stations," an official said.

According to the Central Electricity Authority data, 47 thermal power stations across the country had critical coal stock of less than seven days as on September 23.

However, the government had earlier this month said that the coal supply wasn't low and dry-fuel based power production has increased by about 22 per cent in the three months of Narendra Modi-led government.

Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal had said that coal shortage at power stations was due to stocks being consumed faster for higher electricity generation.

"There is no low coal supply... The materialisation of coal is as per the plan in the last few years. The fact the coal production has not increased is the really that I have inherited.

"I cannot increase coal production in 100 days .. But the fact using the available resources we have increased electricity supply by 22 per cent which is only coal based," Goyal had said.

State-owned Coal India Ltd will spend Rs 5,000 crore to purchase 250 rail rakes for faster evacuation of dry fuel from mines, he said.

Goyal had also said that the government was making all efforts to augment the coal production and expediting the completion of three critical rail lines in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha which will potentially yield 60 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) by 2017-18 and up to 200 MT by 2021-22.