With 43 state-owned power utilities facing critical and 24 others super-critical coal stock position, the coal ministry has asked its PSUs to formulate an elaborate Monsoon Plan to run their mining operations to the maximum extent.

“Coal production cannot be at the optimum owing to incessant rains in the mining areas and the coal companies were expected to adhere to the Monsoon Plan. They were also asked to strengthen their internal coal transport from pithead to railhead,” a senior coal ministry official said.

Power plants facing super-critical coal position had stocks lasting for barely four days according to official data on their inventory as on August 17.

In fact, during the first five months, the port-based state-run power houses in Gujarat, Haldea, Paradeep, Chennai and Andhra Pradesh have not imported 5 million tonne (MT) of coal from abroad which is equivalent to 8 MT Indian coal in terms of Useful Heat Value which has put an extra pressure on Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries. This forced them to divert their supplies earmarked for the non-core sector to power utilities

However, overall supply to the power sector by CIL has grown 3.4 per cent during April-July this year over the same period last year.