News Update

The Ministry of Coal said that the total coal production from captive and commercial mines for the financial year 2024-25 has reached 167.36 million tonnes (MT) as of February 2025. This represents a 32.53 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase compared to the 126.28 MT produced by February last year. It further said that the coal dispatch has also witnessed a significant surge, with total dispatch for the financial year reaching 170.66 MT, surpassing the 128.45 MT recorded in the previous year. This marks a 32.86 per cent YoY growth, ensuring a stable and uninterrupted coal supply to key sectors such as power, steel, and cement.

The Ministry of Coal has conveyed the domestic coal supply plan of 906.1 million tonnes (MT) to the power sector for FY 2025-26 in accordance with the Ministry of Power's communication on the requirement for the financial year 2025-26. There is adequate availability of coal in the country at present. As per the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the coal stock at domestic coal-based power plants stands at 53.49 million tonne (MT) as on March 10, 2025

India's imports of thermal coal, mainly used in power generation, fell for a sixth straight month in February, ship tracking data showed, as coal-fired power generation grew at a muted pace on the back of a slowdown in manufacturing activity. This is the longest such streak since February 2022, when imports declined for eight consecutive months. Imports of thermal coal by India fell 15.3 per cent to 12.16 million metric tons in February, data from Indian consultancy Bigmint showed.

Power demand in February rose by 3.1% on-year owing to rising temperatures and consumption, as per data from Crisil. Moreover, between April 2024 and February 2025, power demand is estimated to have increased 4.2% on-year. While the demand for power continues to rise, Crisil noted that the growth last month is considerably lower compared with 9.9% and 7.1% in the same month of 2023 and 2024, respectively.

India is ready to meet the expected peak power demand of 270 GW this summer taking steps like mandating 17GW imported coal plants to run at full capacity till April and asking hydro projects to conserve water to meet sudden surge. Besides, the country will have 10GW to 12GW power from gas-based plants and there will be a tie-up of another 1.8GW from such capacities.

India's capacity to generate solar power could fall by 600-800 gigawatt-hour before mid-century due to air pollution and climate change, a study has projected. The researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, found that northern, western and southern power grids where most solar parks are currently located will experience significant challenges in maintaining performance due to climate change.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government’s decision to open up the nuclear power sector to the private sector has opened up the way for scaling up nuclear power capacity in a big way over the next two decades. He said that the bold decision of opening up the space sector for young entrepreneurs has led to creation of more than 250 space start-ups in the country. Modi also said geospatial mapping related data is now aiding creation of new start-ups.

The parliamentary standing committee on railways has asked the national transporter to diversify beyond staple bulk commodities like coal, iron ore, and cement to better its freight performance, and recommended a service model similar to the passenger system. While the standing committee’s report is not available yet, a statement by the committee said that freight remains the backbone of Indian Railways, contributing nearly 65 per cent of its revenue and coal, iron ore and cement constitute more than 60 per cent of freight loading and revenue generation through freight operation.

Indian Railways has started producing high-power electric locomotives at its modern Dahod facility in Gujarat. This new plant will manufacture 1,200 advanced locomotives to boost freight operations along key corridors. The Dahod locomotive plant is Indian Railways’ fifth manufacturing unit, built to meet rising freight demands. It will produce 9,000-horsepower electric locomotives designed for long-distance cargo transport.

Cement prices declined around 7 per cent year-on-year in April-January FY25, amid weak demand, and increasing competition due to large supply additions by leading companies, according to a report by rating agency Ind-Ra. Though prices of cement (a bag of 50 kg) have increased sequentially from November 2024 with construction activities picking up pace following the monsoon and festive season, they remained low year-on-year, it said.

Indian steel mills are likely to see a sharp drop in prices after U.S. import tariffs come into effect and reshape global trade of the alloy, potentially redirecting a glut of supply into the South Asian country, according to S&P Global. The agency estimated Indian steel may see a price correction of about 3,000 rupees ($34.52) per ton. Local steelmakers have been battling a rising influx of discounted steel, with intake from China, South Korea and Japan hitting a record high in first 10 months of the current fiscal.