NEW DELHI: Coal production increased by over 10% to more than 370 million tonne (mt) in the April-October period from 335 mt in the previous corresponding period but several power plants are still running low on fuel due to transportation and other issues.

Latest government data shows coal production rising by 110.71 mt from 565.77 mt in 2013-14 to 676.48 mt in 2017-18. All-India coal production rose by 10.4% till October, while output by state-run Coal India Ltd, the world's largest coal miner, increased by 10.1%.

The rise in the output is nearly three times the output growth rate of 33.73 mt between 2009-10 and 2013-14, indicating the reforms and other measures taken by the coal ministry under coal minister Piyush Goyal 's watch is yielding results.

Simultaneously with the higher output, coal dispatch up to October too increased by 8.3% and that by Coal India 7.4%.

NITI Aayog, the government's think-tank, has estimated coal demand at 991.35 mt, including imports, in the ongoing fiscal. The demand by the power sector, the main consumer industry, is estimated at 760.66 mt and requirement of the non-power sector is pegged at 230.69 mt.

CIL, which accounts for more than 80% of the domestic coal output, had earlier said it was optimistic about a production target of 652 mt for 2018-19.

But power plants, especially those located far away from the mines, are still facing low stocks due to infrastructure constraints. For example, 10 out of 24 coal-fired power stations of state-run NTPC, the largest in the country, either do not have any inventory or just a day's stock.

Private power plants too are complaining, particularly of a "step-motherly" treatment from Coal India, which they say is giving priority to state-run utilities.

