Coal supply bottlenecks continue – 24 Nov 2021

India is facing a shortage of fuel and has urged utilities to import coal as supplies at several plants run low

CIL warned the adviser to the federal power ministry in February of an impending fuel shortage as utilities tapped inventories and curbed purchases despite rising coal-fired power output

CIL generally asked utilities to stock up before the annual monsoon season when rains squeeze output and make transport more difficult

But the company was more worried this year as coal-fired power output picked up with corona virus-related restrictions easing

Coal-fired power output grew nearly a fifth during the first eight months of 2021, outpacing overall generation growth of 13.2 percent