Coal Imports by Indian Power Companies Surge

Indian Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that coal imports by Indian power producers surged 31% to 66 million metric tons (mt) in April-January compared with the same period a year earlier, according to Reuters, as coal-based generation rose but domestic coal shortage continued. India’s rush to add power capacity after years of under-investment has forced electricity generators including NTPC Ltd. to import coal heavily as state-run monopoly Coal India Ltd. has struggled to meet demand. Scindia said that in April to January power producers imported 31 million mt of coal to blend them with lower quality varieties and about 35 million mt for plants that depend exclusively on coal from overseas. He said that India’s coal-based power generation rose 8% to 587.64 KWh during the period from a year earlier. Power companies are likely to import 82 million mt this fiscal year ending March 31.