Coal stock at thermal plants plummets, 'critical' at 50 units

Coal stocks at thermal power plants across the country have fallen to less than half the recommended levelNEW DELHI: Coal stocks at thermal power plants across the country have fallen to less than half the recommended level, with 50 plants classified as having 'critically low' inventories as on Sept 2 amid high electricity demand and monsoon-led disruptions in supplies, Central Electricity Authority data showed.The plants, with a combined capacity of around 224 GW, had 28.2 million tonnes (MT) of coal as of Wednesday, 48% of the prescribed requirement of 58.7 MT. The available stock is equivalent to about nine days of coal requirement at 85% plant load factor, against the normal requirement of around 19 days.The plants classified as short on coal stocks have less than 25% of their normativ