Coal production limps back to normal, power crisis over: Experts
*Representative image*Ranchi: Resumption of economic activities across the country after the number of Covid-19 cases go down resulted in a sudden rise in demand for power and coal, which eventually stressed the coal producers, experts here said.
If experts are to be believed, the recent coal crisis is linked to the demand-supply gap which is gradually coming back on track. While the resumption of industrial and business activities resulted in demand for power, extended monsoon played spoilsport with coal production which feeds around 80% of the power producers in the country.
The Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited and one of the largest coal producers of the country, has ramped up its daily production target to 1.80 lakh metric tonne and is working towards escalating it further to 2 lakh tonne. The largest power producer — National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) — has also increased its coal production in all three mines — one each in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
CCL officials admitted that during the second wave, the demand for coal had reduced considerably. “We had written letters to the power producers to offtake coal being mined but having received no response from them.
