Indian government urges power firms to import 35 million tonnes of coal.

PTI reported that Indian government has advised power companies to import 35 million tonnes of coal during the current financial year to tide over supply shortages.

Mr Bharatsinh Solanki minister of state for power said that "In order to bridge the shortfall in indigenous coal availability, power utilities have been advised to import 35 million tonnes of coal. In addition 12 million tonnes coal is also required to be imported during the current fiscal to meet the requirement of power projects designed on imported coal."

The total dry fuel required for plants using indigenous coal is 440 million tonnes and for the ones using imported coal is 12 million tonnes.

NTPC, which has a total coal requirement of about 145 to 150 million tonnes this fiscal, would import 14 million tonnes. Coal India Limited would also import 4 million tonnes of coal for NTPC during the fiscal.

Meanwhile, coal ministry has allocated 97 captive coal blocks for power projects of state and central utilities and independent power producers.

Source : PTI