The government informed parliament on Wednesday that it has not regulated coal consumption, but that more dry fuel has been delivered in the current fiscal year to November than in the same period of the corresponding fiscal period.
Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said in a written response to a question in Lok Sabha that Coal India Limited (CIL) had delivered more coal during the current fiscal year (until November 2021) compared to the quantity delivered in the same period last year.
In the April-November 2021 period, CIL had shipped 421.11 million tons of coal compared to the corresponding period of last year’s figures of 357.13 million tons, recording growth of about 18 percent.
Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) had shipped 42.47 million tons of coal in April-November 2021, compared to 26.52 million tons of dry fuel, which it shipped in April-November 2020, achieving 60 percent growth, Mr. Joshi told the lower house.
The Coal Secretary’s comment on dry fuel consumption can be seen in light of the fact that in October of this year, as many as six states had said they were facing an energy crisis as power plants ran out of dry fuel. .
The Coal Department had accelerated supplies to the affected states, even suggesting power cuts might be coming.