India Coal Stockpiles Critical at Half of Coal Power Fleet as Demand Surges

Half of India's coal-fired power plants are operating with critically low fuel stocks, with 96 plants holding only three days of consumption, Reuters reported, citing Central Electricity Authority data. The figure rose from 60 plants in mid-September. Total coal stocks at power plants have fallen 5% since the start of October, following a 13.3% increase in coal power generation last month. The supply-demand gap reached 560 million kWh in September, the widest imbalance since August 2023. The Ministry of Coal said domestic coal companies were ramping up supply, but the latest data suggests the effort has not rebalanced the market. Daily power demand has been running at peaks 45-50 GW higher than a year ago. The International Energy Agency expects India's total coal demand to rise 4.2% to 1.353 billion tons this year, reversing last year's slight decline.