Coal India's foreign dreams lose steam in bid to fuel domestic demand

Sources said the company's move to acquire coking coal assets in Australia has now taken a backseat

With Coal India prioritising availability of thermal coal to the power plants by streamlining its road and rail supply networks, its plans of acquiring a 20-25 per cent stake in an Australian firm, which could have ensured steady procurement of coking coal, has been put on the back burner.

Apart from stepping up production, another top priority for the company at present is coordinating with railways to make 288 rakes available each day for supply of the fuel to power plants. 

Towards the end of the last year, resulting from the dearth of railway rake availability, coal stocks with power plants hit