Coal news and updates

Indian power cos’ Dec coal consumption up 1% m-o-m

Coal consumption by India’s power utilities monitored by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) in December 2015 were at 45.50 million tons (mt), edging up 1.27% from 44.93 mt in November, as per data available with ICMW.

Coal consumption by the power plants monitored by this central agency during the first nine months of 2015-16 (April-December) were at 406.06 mt compared to 398.84 mt seen in the same period of the previous fiscal, up 1.81% year-on-year.

This growth seems to be reversing a trend seen so far of poor demand for electricity in the country as distribution companies have failed to purchase power due to their weak financial conditions. One reason could be the recent encouragement received in the form of the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY) launched by the government.

Consumption of the fuel by the power plants in entire 2014-15 stood at 531.48 mt and the current trend indicates that the consumption may range around 545 mt in 2015-16 because of low imports and higher availability of domestic coal.

On the back of 1.27% increase in coal consumption, generation of power by coal-fired plants during the month stood at73.07 billion units (BU), up 3.72% over 70.45 BU generated in December last year.

On the back of the 1.81% increase in coal consumption, generation of power by coal-fired plants during the first nine months of 2015-16 stood at 634.92 BU, up 6.2% compared to 598.04 BU during the corresponding period of 2014-15.

Meanwhile, specific coal consumption (receipt, consumption and coal stocks, including coal from all sources) in the first nine months of the current fiscal stood at 0.66 kg/kWh against 0.67 kg/kWh, dropping 1.49% year-on-year.

Source: ICMW