India Assures Adequate Coal Supply Ahead of Summer Power Demand Surge

India has sufficient coal reserves to meet an expected surge in electricity demand during the upcoming summermonths, the Ministry of Coal announced on Wednesday. The reassurance comes amid disruptions in global gas supplies caused by the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. According to the ministry, the country currently holds about 210 million metric tons of coal, which is enough to meet nearly 88 days of consumption.

Coal continues to play a dominant role in India’s energy mix, accounting for nearly three-fourths of the nation’s electricity generation, even as the country rapidly expands renewable energy capacity. With natural gas supplies—particularly from Qatar—affected by tensions in the Middle East, India is expected to rely more heavily on coal-based power generation to meet rising summer demand.

The ministry said that Indian power plants currently have 54.05 million tons of coal, sufficient for roughly 24 days of consumption at present usage levels. Meanwhile, pithead stock at Coal India, which produces around three-quarters of the country’s coal output, reached a record 121.4 million tons as of March 9. Strong domestic production has also enabled India to explore coal exports to neighboring countries and increase the blending of locally produced coal in plants traditionally designed for imported fuel.

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