Coal imports fall by Rs 13,629 crore in April-September as domestic output rises

The import of ember by non-regulated sectors and home coal-based thermal powerfulness plants, for blending, declined by 9.83 per cent to 63.28 cardinal tonnes (MT) from April to September 2024, from 70.18 MT successful the aforesaid play past year, and by 8.6 per cent to 9.79 MT from 10.71 MT, respectively, the Ministry of Coal said connected Wednesday.

"This demonstrates an accrued reliance connected home ember supplies for these sectors. However, determination has been a emergence successful the import of coking coal, indispensable for the alloy industry, and ember for imported coal-based powerfulness plants, which are not substitutable by home coal," a Ministry connection said.

Consequently, the wide ember imports during April-September 2024 accrued marginally by 1.36 per cent, reaching 129.52 cardinal tons (MT) compared to 127.78 MT successful the corresponding play of the erstwhile year.

In presumption of value, wide imported ember during April-September 2024-25 stands astatine Rs 1,38,763.50 crore, a alteration from Rs 1,52,392.23 crore during the aforesaid play past year. This simplification has resulted successful immense savings of Rs 13,628.73 crore demonstrating a much cost-effective attack to ember procurement, the connection said.

The Ministry of Coal said it remains committed to reducing dependence connected imported ember wherever feasible, by ramping up home accumulation and streamlining logistics. At the aforesaid time, imports of non-substitutable ember are strategically maintained to enactment captious industries similar powerfulness and steel.

India's ember accumulation roseate by 7.4 per cent to 84.45 MT successful October compared to 78.57 MT successful the corresponding period of the erstwhile fiscal. Coal accumulation from captive and different entities roseate to 16.59 MT successful October implicit 11.70 MT successful the corresponding period of the erstwhile fiscal. In the April-October play of 2024-25, India's ember accumulation roseate by 6.1 per cent to 537.45 cardinal tonnes (MT) compared to 506.56 MT successful the corresponding play of the erstwhile fiscal, the Ministry said.

It said its absorption is connected "ensuring vigor information and outgo ratio portion advancing towards the imaginativeness of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The committedness to vigor information and economical ratio remains paramount arsenic we determination forward".