The country used the reset triggered by the first wave of the pandemic to rework the way India’s core sector was being steered bringing in coal at the forefront of the resurgence of the economy by opening up the coal mining sector as part of the larger Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiative.
Launch of commercial coal mining came along with unshackling of coal marketing by Coal India. Many of the restrictions on the sale and allocation of coal to power as well as non-power sectors were removed.
With the pandemic rearing its ugly head once again, the path that the government have chosen, on the economic front, would surely be tested.
There is disruption in supply chain due to lockdown announced in various states as the coronavirus cases keep rising. Several states have announced stringent restrictions, including night curfew. The government is even mulling a complete lockdown if cases continue to grow exponentially. States like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Chhattisgarh are under lockdown and economic activities are severely affected.
The current situation looks grim with even functioning of the Coal Ministry being impacted. With a large number of officials in the ministry getting infected in recent days, they are either on home quarantine or admitted to hospitals, which has forced the Coal Ministry set up a monitoring cell to help ministry officials cope with the crisis.
In this cover story we look at the early trends that are emerging that would signal the way the coal story would play out in 2021.
Electricity demand falls for the first time in 35 years
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2021-Ausgabe von Coal Insights.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2021-Ausgabe von Coal Insights.
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SCCL's coal production up 64% in Q1
Coal production by SCCL during Q1 FY22 stood at 15.57mt, 64% higher than 9.50 mt achieved in Q1 FY21.
The UK to end thermal coal use in October 2024
The deadline to phase out coal from Great Britain’s energy system has been brought forward by a year as part of the UK government’s decision to go further in driving down emissions and tackling climate change.
Coal handled by major ports up 38.5% in Q1
The 12 major Indian ports handled 39.37 million tons (mt) of coal (thermal + coking) during April- June of FY22, up by 38.5 percent from 28.42 mt recorded in the corresponding quarter of FY21, according to data released by the Indian Ports Association (IPA).
Cement sector sees demand revival
Retail demand was under pressure during the first two months of FY22 with April and May production falling by 12 percent and 17 percent respectively month-on-month (m-o-m) as per Index of Industrial Production data.
Indian Railways' coal handling up 42% in Q1
Indian Railways in April-June of FY22 transported 157.78 million tons (mt) of coal, up by 42.4 percent from 110.80 mt handled in corresponding quarter of FY21.
CIL's coal production up 2.4% in Q1
Coal India’s (CIL) coal production during April-June quarter (Q1) of FY22 was up by 2.4 percent to 124 million tons (mt) as compared to 121 mt achieved during the same quarter last fiscal (FY21), according to (provisional) data released by the company.
India's May coal imports up 20% y-o-y
Coal and coke imports in May 2021 were up 20.44 percent year-on-year (y-o-y), according to import data available with Coal Insights. Imports rose to 19.92 million tons (mt) from 16.54 mt during May of previous year.
There is still a long way to go to squeeze coal out: BP
There are worrying signs that last year’s Covid-induced dip in carbon emissions will be short lived as the world economy recovers and lockdowns are lifted, says Bernard Looney Chief Executive Officer of BP in the recently published Statistical Review of World Energy 2021 published by the company.
“Growing Infrastrcuture is a big opportunity for OTR Tires in India”
India is now considered to be the largest market for Off-the-Road Tires (OTR) used in construction & mining industry. The opening up of the coal sector has provided further push to the potential usage of such tires. And Balkrishna Industries Ltd, a global player with diversified portfolio under the BKT brand across agriculture, industrial, construction, earthmoving, mining and port is set to seize the opportunity. Rajiv Poddar, Joint Managing Director, Balkrishna Industries Ltd., tells Arindam Bandyopadhyay of Coal Insights about the opportunities and outlook for the sector and the company.
SCCL's coal production up 69% in May
After putting up a dismal performance last year, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) has started the new fiscal on a high note. Coal production by SCCL in May 2021 surged to 5.44 million tons (mt), about 68.56 percent higher than 3.23 mt achieved in the same month last year, according to (provisional) data released by the company.
