By IANS,
New Delhi : Coal India Ltd (CIL) has achieved 95 percent of its supply target to the power sector, Pratik Prakashbapu Patil, minister of state for coal said Monday
In a written reply, the minister informed parliament that CIL has supplied power utilities 312.02 million tonnes in 2011-12 as against the target of 328.21 million tonnes.
Compared to the supply to power utilities of 304.145 million tonnes in 2010-11, the supply in 2011-12 has been 2.59 percent more than the previous year.
Coal India board had earlier this month agreed to pay off penalties of 1.5-40 percent, depending on the extent to which it fails to supply the committed quantity of coal to power plants.
Coal production and offtake by Coal India has been in focus after India’s worst power blackout last month, as thermal energy contributes more than half the power generation in the country.
The Minister said CIL’s production in 2011-12 was 435.84 million tonnes as against the revised target (RE) of 447.00 million tonnes which is 97.5 percent of the target.
The reasons for shortfall have been incessant rains in the first and second quarters of the year, delay in forestry and environmental clearances, law and Order problems particularly in Jharkhand and Orissa, land acquisition issues and coal evacuation problems in some of the growing coalfields.
CIL is attempting to boost production from existing mines through mechanization and modernization.
Coal production from ongoing projects is envisaged to increase from 227.50 million tonnes in 2011-12 to 333.33 million tonnes in 2016-17. Another 96.13 million tonnes is projected to come from future projects to be taken up during the 12th Plan period.
Coal India will revise its fuel supply pact with power units commissioned after December 2009 to include the new penalty regime for short supply.