Coal India Limited (CIL) zoomed into high orbit growth, during the quarter ending September 2017, in a never-seen-in-the-recent past-performance clocking growths of 13.6% in overall coal off-take; 13.6% in coal supplies to power utilities; 8.3% in coal production; 7% in average rake loading/day and 9% in coal supply to NTPC and its JVs.
Overall coal off-take to consumers at 131.58 Million Tonnes (MTs) during July-September 2017 was up by 15.71 MTs in absolute terms compared to 115.87 MTs during the same quarter last fiscal registering a growth of 13.6%.
Coal supplies to Thermal Power Stations of the country increased by 12.53 MTs, during the Second Quarter of the current fiscal compared to same quarter last year. During July-September 2017, CIL supplied 104.34 MTs of coal to the Power Stations against 91.81 MTs on a like-to-like quarter last year, registering a growth of 13.6%.
As the country reeled under energy crunch, in August 2017, with growth in hydro, nuclear and others sources plunging down by 12%, 36% and 7% respectively, the demand for electricity from thermal power plants (TPPs) went up substantially, necessitating higher coal requirement. Under coordination and close monitoring from Ministry of Coal, CIL stepped in with alacrity increasing coal supply to power sector. During the months of August and September coal supplies to power plants, by CIL, grew by 20% and 21% respectively compared to same months last year. The trend was sustained in October 2017 as well with 18% growth.
Coal production has also risen up sharply during the Q2 of the present financial year with CIL as whole producing 113.04 MTs of coal registering a healthy growth of 8.3% on a quarter-on-quarter comparison. Coal production during the same quarter last year has been 104.37 MTs.
Constant coordination and synergizing the efforts with Railways, with the help of Ministry of Coal, witnessed the average wagon loading tweaking up to a growth of 7% during July-September 2017. During current year’s Q2, CIL’s average loading of rakes per day went up to 208.8 against 195.2 rakes per day on a same quarter comparison of last year. The increase in absolute terms during the period was a strong 13.6 rakes per day.
Coal supplies by CIL to the national power producer NTPC Limited and its Joint Ventures registered a robust 9% growth, in Q2 of FY 18, as the supplies surged ahead to 38.36 MTs against 35.20 MTs. during same quarter last year.
Similarly, during the first Half of the current FY (April-September 2017) also the positive growth was sustained with overall coal supplies as well as coal supplies to power utilities registering a strong 8% growth. While average rake loading during the first six months of the current financial year marked 4% growth, coal supplies to NTPC and its JVs recorded 2.3% growth. Coal production grew by 0.8% during H1 period.