No power producer approached CIL for imported coal supply.

NEW DELHI: No power producer has got in touch with state-owned CIL for supply of imported coal for plants in the current fiscal, Parliament was informed today.

"No thermal power plant/coal company has approached CIL for supply of imported coal for 2016-17," Minister of State for Coal, Power, Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal said in a reply to the Lok Sabha.

In accordance to the Presidential Directive issued to Coal India Ltd (CIL) and under the provision of new fuel supply agreement, option is given to power utility sector consumers to opt for supply of a part of Annual Contracted Quantity (ACQ) from the imported coal through CIL, the minister said.

As per the initial estimate, the demand of coal in 2016-17 is estimated to be 884.8 million tonnes (mt) against which supply plan from indigenous sources has been estimated to be 724.7 mt, leaving a demand supply gap of 160 mt to be met through imports by consuming sectors, he said.

The country has imported 86.5 mt of coal valued at Rs 3,3489.3 crore in April-August in the ongoing fiscal.

On account of increased production by CIL in the last financial year, coal imports have fallen to 199.8 mt in 2015-16 from 217.7 mt in 2014-15, he added.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com