Govt shelves import plan to tackle diminished coal stockpiles

India has shelved a proposal to mandate coal imports because of rising costs and a weaker rupee. Policymakers are instead encouraging Coal India Ltd. to enhance output and ensure timely transport to power stations. Coal reserves have reached the lowest level in nearly five years, impacting electricity generation severely this month. While power demand remains high, the depletion rate of coal inventory has slowed compared to last month.

India has shelved a proposal to mandate coal imports in order to boost dwindling stockpiles at the country's power plants, as rising seaborne prices and a weaker rupee inflate the costs of incoming shipments.

The government in recent weeks discussed a plan to ask power plants to blend imported grades with domestic coal in order to ease the current supply crunch, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named as the discussion was private. High costs, however, mean that proposal has now been shelved.