New Delhi: Allaying fears of shortages amid intense summer and high electricity demand, Coal India Limited (CIL) has announced that the country holds a buffer stock of 168 million tonnes of dry fuel, sufficient to meet the requirements of domestic thermal power plants for 19 days. The public sector company emphasized that compression in coal stock levels at thermal plants during peak summer is a natural occurrence and that around 50 million tonnes of in-situ mine coal is readily available for quicker extraction and supply if demand necessitates.
Normative Stock Requirements
Coal-fired power stations are expected to maintain 26 days of normative stock, calculated at 85% plant load factor, which represents the quantum of electricity generated compared to the maximum possible output at full capacity. Against the requirement of 75 million tonnes of coal to maintain this level, total stock availability stood at 49.7 million tonnes, or 66% of the normative requirement. According to the daily coal stock report compiled by the Central Electricity Authority, of the 190 coal-fired plants in the country with a collective capacity of 223 gigawatts, 24 had critical coal stocks as of May 26, meaning availability was less than 25% of the normative requirement.
Current Power Demand Scenario
India is currently reeling under an intense heatwave, sending power demand spiraling in most parts of the country. Peak power demand touched 271 gigawatts on May 21. Coal-based power plants provide nearly 68% of the country's total electricity requirement during the day. Coal India Limited, which supplies nearly 80% of the country's coal requirement, stated that stocks at domestic coal-based plants stood at 47.6 million tonnes as of May 23, while inventory at its own mine heads was at a comfortable level of 113.5 million tonnes as of May 24, 10% higher than the corresponding period in 2025.
Buffer Stock and Transit Coal
This level is sufficient to meet 19 days of consumption. Added to this, around 3 million tonnes of coal is awaiting movement at transit points such as goods sheds, private washeries, and ports, CIL said in a statement. The public sector company noted that around 4 million tonnes of coal remains in transit at any point of time, taking the total coal available in the system to 168 million tonnes. CIL has advised power plants with low coal availability to build up stocks in advance for peak demand periods. As such, CIL has adequate quantity to meet the generation capacity of domestic coal-based plants, it said.
