Media reports quoted an official from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) as saying that around 25 domestic-coal based thermal power plants will consume 50 million tonne of the imported coal.

CEA set a target of importing 82 million tonne of coal for 36 power stations in 2013-14. Of this, over 60 percent is expected to be utilized by the plants which have been designed on indigenous coal.

These are the plants designed on domestic fuel but are forced to consume imported fuel because of scarcity of coal in India.

Some of the plants that would depend on imported coal are Reliance Power's Rosa thermal power plant, Tata Power's Maithon plant, Lanco's Anpara plant and Adani Power's Tiroda project, reports indicate.

Country's largest power producer NTPC will import close to 20 million tonne for its three domestic-coal based plants in order to mitigate the shortfall in domestic supplies.

The company has said that it will import 16 million tonne of coal on its own. The remaining quantity will be sourced through other agencies.