As stocks fall at power plants, govt mulls imported coal blending

NEW DELHI: With coal stocks at thermal power plants stretched, govt is considering allowing the blending of imported coal with domestic supplies to keep critical plants running.Senior officials said discussions with stakeholders were ongoing and a final decision was yet to be taken. If approved, it will be the first time since 2024 that govt mandates coal blending to tide over the current shortage.Central Electricity Authority data as on Sept 24 showed that of the 190 thermal power plants in the country, with a combined capacity of over 224 GW, 80 were categorised as “critical”. These include 70 plants based on domestic coal, eight designed to use imported coal and two that run on washery rejects.