Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Even though the coal ministry has stated that there are currently 77 million tonnes of dry fuel available, which is more than enough to meet the demand of the power sector, highly placed sources said that Power Minister RK Singh will hold a meeting on August 22 to review the availability of coal for thermal power plants, especially in light of the ongoing monsoon season.
The conference takes place just days after Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi evaluated the availability of coal last week and found that there is a enough supply of dry fuel to satisfy the needs of coal-based power plants.
Thus, there are now 77 million tonnes of dry fuel available to satisfy the needs of thermal power plants. According to a source from the coal ministry, 1.5 million tonnes of dry fuel would still be available in 40 days even after the maximum depletion of coal inventories since it cannot go below that amount.
The source added that while there is currently 77 million tonnes of coal available, which is much more than what is needed for coal-fired power plants, and that there are still 40 days left until the monsoon season ends, at least 6 million tonnes of coal will be available at all costs despite the maximum depletion of stock.
Pralhad Joshi, the minister of coal and mines, looked into the availability of dry fuel during the current rainy season.
Senior representatives from Coal India Limited (CIL), Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), and other organizations attended the meeting. It was disclosed during the meeting that CIL and SCCL both have sufficient coal supplies to meet the demand of coal-based power plants during the rainy season.
During the current fiscal year, CIL recorded its highest-ever shipment to the non-power sector, at 3.68 lakh tonnes per day.
