New Delhi [India], May 28 (ANI): Coal India is holding sufficient coal stock despite a lower production target for the current fiscal year, even as power demand in the country has touched record levels, Coal India Chairman and Managing Director, B Sairam said on Thursday.

'At the beginning of this year, we were having a stock of 130 million tonne. So deliberately we took a conscious decision,' Sairam said while responding to questions on production strategy and coal supply planning on the sidelines of a roadshow on coal gasification attended by industry leaders, startups, researchers, PSUs and state government representatives.

He said the company already has enough production and stock, which has enabled a shift in focus towards supply-side management.

'Because you already have enough production and stock is already there. So you want to focus on the supply side,' Coal India CMD Sairam noted.

Explaining the approach, Sairam said Coal India is working to balance stock levels while ensuring uninterrupted supply to meet rising demand.

He added that the company is simultaneously managing stock liquidation and production to maintain operational balance.

'As the stocks are getting liquidated, we are doing production also. So there will be a good synchronization between the production and supply. Unnecessary stocking and deterioration should be avoided,' he said.

On rising electricity demand, Sairam highlighted that power demand in the country has reached an 'all-time high', requiring coordinated efforts to ensure adequate coal supply.

'The government and the ministry and the power ministry has asked us to ramp up the supply and we are taking all the possible steps,' he said.

He added that Coal India is working closely with state governments and the Ministry of Railways to ensure efficient coal movement across the country through multiple transport systems.

'Coordination with the state governments and coordination with the Minister of Railways through all modes including the MGR mode, the railway mode, the road mode and even the belt conveyor mode to ramp up the supply,' he said.

Sairam mentioned that India's coal consumption is expected to rise further in the current fiscal year.

'Last fiscal our country consumed roughly 810 million tonnes of coal. This fiscal, we also expect around 830 to 850 million tonnes,' he said.

Despite moderation in production targets, he ruled out any risk of shortage or supply-demand mismatch. 'Nothing, nothing, nothing,' he said when asked about possible shortages.

He also said coal fire incidents are under control with robust systems in place.

'Everything is under control. We have a good robust system of quenching the fire. The pipelines are there,' he said.

Coal India's strategy comes amid peak summer demand and rising electricity consumption across sectors, with the company prioritising supply efficiency and stock optimisation over production expansion alone. (ANI)