Coal India auction to non-power sector increases sharply: Report

The tate-run Coal India auctioned 3.2 million tons of coal exclusively for the non-electricity sector in November, a senior company official said, more than five times the volume auctioned a year earlier and about eight times the allocation in September.

Coal India had temporarily suspended auctions of coal to non-energy customers and cut contracted supplies in October as it prioritized supplies to Indian utilities facing the worst coal shortage in years.

The average price at the auctions in November was higher than a year earlier, and the previous exclusive auctions for non-power consumers such as aluminum smelters and cement manufacturers took place in September, the official said.

The official declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media about the matter.

Non-power consumers account for about a quarter of India's total coal consumption. India produces more than 70% of its electricity from coal, and Coal India accounts for more than four-fifths of the country's production.