Coal supply to power plants gathers pace in October

The Ministry of Coal issued a clarification addressing media reports regarding growing risks of power shortages and low coal inventories at power plants. The Ministry stated that the 'critical stock' tag is a norm-based trigger meant for early warning rather than indicating imminent shutdowns. It reported that daily coal supplies to the power sector rose by about 36% from September lows, with October averaging roughly 9% higher than September. Additionally, daily stock depletion has decreased, rail loading has strengthened to average over 465 rakes per day in October, and coordinated monitoring with the Ministries of Railways and Power is ongoing.