**Coal Ministry Prepares for 906 MT Demand in Power Sector for 2025-26**
New Delhi, Feb 7 (PTI) – The coal ministry is poised to meet the projected coal demand of 906 million tonnes (MT) for the power sector in the fiscal year 2025-26, according to a senior government official. Vismita Tej, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Coal, announced during a press conference that inter-ministerial and secretary-level meetings are currently taking place to ensure coal supply readiness for the upcoming summer season.
“For FY26, the power ministry has communicated a demand of 906 MT to us. We will allocate this target among our three primary coal-producing sources: Coal India, captive and commercial mines, and Singareni Collieries Company Ltd,” she stated. This demand reflects a 3.66 percent increase from the power sector’s requirement of 874 MT for the financial year ending March 31, 2025. Tej assured that the demand for FY25 will also be adequately met.
Regarding summer preparedness, Tej highlighted that the inter-ministerial committee convenes frequently—twice a week at the ministry level and once a month at the secretary level—to discuss coal supply strategies. “To ensure a smooth summer, we need at least 50 MT of stock at thermal power plants (TPPs). As of January 24, we had 47 MT, and currently, we have over 49 MT of coal at TPPs, indicating that we are well-prepared for the upcoming summer,” she noted.
The ministry is also focused on facilitating efficient coal supply and transportation. Official data reveals that total coal production increased by 5.88 percent to 830.66 MT during the April-January period compared to 784.51 MT in the same timeframe last year. Additionally, cumulative coal dispatches until January 2025 reached 843.75 MT, reflecting a 5.73 percent rise from 798.02 MT recorded in the previous year.