Archive · 10 Oct 2026
Low Coal Stocks Persist as Supplies Improve Across India
Many power plants in India had only a few days of coal on October 7.
More than half of the plants being tracked had five days or less.
The Coal Ministry says coal deliveries have improved since September.
Plants are also using up their stored coal more slowly.
Trains are carrying more coal than they did on average in September.
The ministry says a low-stock warning does not mean a plant has run out of coal or is about to stop working.
Officials are shifting coal to plants that need it most.
They hope steady deliveries will help build stores back up, but that rebuilding has not started yet.
On October 7, 107 of 191 monitored Indian thermal power stations had five days or less of coal.
Another 69 stations had six to 15 days of stock, while 15 had more than 15 days.
The Coal Ministry said daily supplies to the power sector were about 36% above September’s low and October’s average was 9% higher than September’s.
Daily stock depletion fell to 0.116 million tonnes in October from 0.243 million tonnes per day in September.
Rail loading averaged more than 465 rakes a day in October, and the ministry said stock rebuilding had not yet begun.
- Who
- India’s monitored thermal power stations and the Coal Ministry.
- What
- Many stations had five days or less of coal, while supplies and rail movement improved.
- When
- Stock figures were reported for October 7; supply and rail comparisons cover September and October.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- Officials are working to prevent coal availability from limiting electricity generation and to rebuild stocks before future demand periods.
Low-stock concern
Ministry’s assessment
How to interpret critically low stocks
Low-stock concern
The CEA figures show 107 monitored stations had no more than five days of coal, a situation officials are closely monitoring.
Ministry’s assessment
The Coal Ministry said the critical-stock designation is an early-warning trigger and does not by itself mean a plant has run out of coal or faces imminent shutdown.
Supply outlook
Low-stock concern
Stock rebuilding had not begun, leaving the challenge of restoring buffers ahead of later demand periods.
Ministry’s assessment
The ministry said supplies and rail movement had improved, stock depletion had slowed, and sustained loading could further stabilise inventories.
- Stations monitored
- 191
- Stations with 0–5 days of stock
- 107: 97 non-pithead and 10 pithead plants
- Stations with 6–15 days of stock
- 69
- Stations with more than 15 days of stock
- 15
- October daily coal depletion
- 0.116 million tonnes per day, down from 0.243 million tonnes per day in September
- October rail loading
- More than 465 rakes per day on average, compared with 426 per day in September
- Supply change
- Daily supplies were about 36% above September’s low; October average supplies were about 9% higher than September’s
- Stock rebuilding
- The ministry said rebuilding had not yet commenced