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State-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) connected Tuesday (May 26, 2026) allayed fears of coal shortage, saying it has built up a buffer of 168 cardinal tonnes (MT) to conscionable accrued request during the summertime season.
The institution said it has an capable quantity to conscionable the procreation capableness of home coal-based plants, adjacent arsenic regular depletion of the adust substance by thermal powerfulness plants soared.
In a statement, the Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) said its ember stocks astatine home coal-based powerfulness plants stood astatine 47.6 cardinal tonnes (MT) arsenic connected May 23, portion inventory astatine the excavation heads was astatine a comfy 113.5 MT connected May 24, up astir 10% from the year-ago, adding that this level is capable to conscionable 19 days of consumption.
"Added to this, astir 3 MT of ember is awaiting transit points specified arsenic goods sheds, backstage washeries and ports. Rakes connected Run, that is, ember successful transit astatine immoderate constituent of clip is astir 4 MT, making a full of 168 MT of ember disposable successful the system," the connection said.
Compression of ember banal levels astatine coal-fired plants during highest summertime is simply a earthy occurrence alternatively than a supply-side crisis, the PSU said. Along with ember adequacy, determination is astir 50 cardinal tonnes of in-situ excavation ember connected tap, acceptable for quicker extraction and proviso if the request necessitates.
Of the 21 plants categorised nether criticality (as of May 20), 11 are home coal-based plants, of which 7 root their ember from CIL. CIL has been corresponding with powerfulness plants to physique up their stocks for highest request periods successful advance, erstwhile determination is ample coal, particularly successful the lawsuit of the plants located astatine hard logistic points.
Coal India accounts for implicit 80% of home ember output. India's highest powerfulness request deed a grounds precocious of 270.82 GW connected Thursday (May 21, 2026), surpassing its erstwhile grounds of 265.44 acceptable connected Wednesday (May 20, 2026), arsenic the prevailing vigor question accrued the usage of cooling devices similar aerial conditioners and godforsaken coolers.
Last summer, the highest powerfulness request was 242.77 GW, recorded successful June, 2025, but stayed beneath the government's estimation of 277 GW. In May 2024, the highest powerfulness request reached 250 GW, a grounds astatine that clip and exceeding the erstwhile all-time highest of 243.27 GW acceptable successful September 2023.
