New Delhi, January 14 (IANS). Imports of high quality coal by India declined by 3.1 per cent to 149.39 million tonnes (MT) in the first seven months (April to October) of the current fiscal year from 154.17 MT in the same period last year. This information was given by the Coal Ministry on Tuesday.
The ministry said that the reason for the decline in coal imports is the increase in production at the domestic level.
There has been a huge decline of 8.8 percent in imports from the non-regulated sector (except the power sector) on an annual basis.
India has the world’s fifth largest coal reserves and domestic coal production plays a vital role in supporting the booming economy.
However, the country faces a significant gap in meeting its coal demand of coking coal required for steel production and high-grade thermal coal for power plants.
The statement said coal-based power generation from April 2024 to October 2024 increased by 3.87 per cent compared to the same period last year, but coal imports for blending by thermal power plants saw a huge decline of 19.5 per cent. Went. The reason for this is increase in domestic production. This shows self-sufficiency in coal production.
The statement further said the increase in coal imports for the power sector is due to imported coal-fired power plants (designed to use only imported coal), which increased by 38.4 per cent to 30.04 MT from 21.71 MT last year. Has occurred.
According to the government statement, coal production has increased by 6.04 percent on an annual basis to 537.57 MT in the period April-October 2024, which was 506.93 MT in the same period of the financial year 2023-24.
–IANS
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