India must step up coal imports to avoid a repeat of last year's crisis

Unreliable domestic dispatches prompt customers to either pay more for imports or stop operations

S Dinakar | New Delhi
Last Updated at February 3, 2022 06:04 IST

Crisil expects thermal coal imports to grow as much as 15 per cent this year from 2021 at 180-190 mt

The year has hardly dawned but tussles over supply and transport of coal have already erupted, perhaps pointing to another volatile year of fuel supplies to generators from state-run Coal India (CIL), and a feeling of deja vu for generators — which are still nursing their way out of low stocks. Clashes between generators and CIL and the Indian Railways doesn’t bode well for an economy looking to grow at over 8 per cent because coal-fired generation is the key to lubricating India’s growth for the next few years.

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