Coal import for blending drops 37% in April-January period

The import of coal for blending purposes dropped 36.69 per cent to 19.36 Million Tonnes (MT) in the April-January period of the current fiscal, an official statement said on Monday. The country's coal import for blending was 30.58 MT in the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

"Despite the surging power demand, coal import for blending witnessed a significant decrease of 36.69 per cent... This exemplifies the nation's steadfast commitment to achieving self-reliance in coal production and minimising overall coal imports," the coal ministry said in a statement.

The country's power generation grew 6.6 per cent in the April-January period over the year-ago period, the statement said. Coal remains the predominant source and contributes over 70 per cent to the total power generation. Coal-based power generation has been important in meeting the rising energy demands.

Currently, the country is experiencing a substantial rise in power requirements on account of industrial expansion, technological advancements and economic development among others.

Coal and mines minister Pralhad Joshi had earlier said the government will make a plea to imported coal-based power plants to change their technology and design so that those can be run on domestic coal.