Coal's share of India's
electricity generation
is estimated to decline
to 50% by 2030, down
from about 72% now.
Meanwhile,
India's coal production
expected to reach
a record 700 mn tonnes
in fiscal year 2021,
which ends March 2021,
Coal Secretary Anil Jain
said.
India imports 235 million
tonnes of coal annually.
"We will be able to cut
substitutable coal imports
with this rise in production,"
Jain said.
India produced 602
million tonnes of coal
in 2019-20 fiscal year,
about the same as
606 million tonnes
in 2018-19.
Jain said
FY20 coal production
was lower than the target
of 660 million tonnes
because of flooding
of a key coal mine.
Jain said coal production
in April 2020 was about
40 million tonnes,
down from 45 million
tonnes in April 2019.
Power plants are
the main coal users.
They have coal inventory
as high as 30-days,
from the COVID-19 lockdown
slashing electricity demand
by about a quarter.
Coal India Ltd has stocked
up a record 75 million tonnes
at its mines, while power station
inventories have surged
to 44.7 million tonnes.