State-owned Coal India reported a 3.4 percent increase in coal supply to the power sector, reaching 294.8 million tonnes in the first six months of the current fiscal year. This increase in supply came despite record-high electricity demand in the past two months. Coal India Ltd (CIL) stated that the total coal supplied exceeded the projected demand of 293 million tonnes by 1.8 million tonnes for this period.

In comparison to the same period last fiscal year, this volume increase amounted to 9.7 million tonnes, or 3.4 percent. CIL noted that this increase could have been even higher if logistics were smoother and intake was not regulated by a few consumers.

CIL was given a supply target of 610 million tonnes to the power sector for FY24, which is approximately 4 percent higher than the record 586.6 million tonnes supplied in FY23. A senior CIL official stated that they had met the prorated demand of coal-fired plants until the end of September and expected to meet the annual demand as well.

Coal is the largest source of electricity in India, and CIL is responsible for producing over 80 percent of the coal in the country. During the April-September period, CIL's total supplies increased to 360.7 million tonnes compared to 332 million tonnes in the year-ago period.

Additionally, coal supplies by CIL to the non-power sector in the first six months of FY24 reached 65.7 million tonnes, showing a growth of 40 percent. As of the end of September, the coal stock at CIL's pitheads stood at 41.6 million tonnes. In September, CIL reported a 12.6 percent year-on-year rise in coal production, reaching 51.4 million tonnes.