New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) The coal ministry on Monday said it has plans to produce additional quantity of the dry fuel to ensure sufficient availability for thermal power plants.

Production enhancement measures include opening of new blocks, expansion of mines capacity and production from captive, commercial mines.

Also Read | Chandigarh Police Recruitment 2023: Vacancies Notified for 45 Constable Posts Under Sports Quota, Apply Online at chandigarhpolice.gov.in.

"All these three operational components are contributing and have clear plans for further enhancement. The production plans for year 2027 and 2030 will far exceed the likely domestic requirement of thermal power plants in the country, including that for likely additional capacity," the coal ministry said in a statement.

The ministry plans to produce 1,404 million tonnes (MT) of coal by 2027 and 1,577 MT by 2030 from the current level of production of about one billion tonnes per annum.

Also Read | Ryan Gosling Birthday: From The Notebook to La La Land - Top 15 Movies of Barbie's Ken You Must Definitely Watch!.

Coal supplied to domestic coal-based power plant is around 821 MT for the current year.

The ministry said it has taken note of the additional coal requirement for the additional 80 GW of thermal capacity to be added by 2030.

"The coal requirement for additional thermal capacity would be around 400 MT at 85 per cent PLF (plant load factor), and the actual requirement may be lower depending on the generation requirements in the coming times due to contributions from renewable sources," it said.

Coal stocks have started building up at thermal power plants and have reached around 20 MT. At various mines, the stock is at 41.59 MT.

The total stock which includes those under transit and at captive mines is 73.56 MT as compared to 65.56 MT last year, showing year-on-year increase of 12 per cent.

The growth in power generation for domestic coal-based plant was recorded at 8.99 per cent, while the growth in coal production was at 13.02 per cent year on year (till date). During last three months, demand for thermal power has grown by over 20 per cent from last year.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)