Coal India's record supply came partly from old stock

Companies No. 111 2 November 2026 · 1 min read · By Pranami Hayaran

Coal India supplied a record 70.3 million tonnes of coal in October, up 18.7% from a year ago, its 1 November filing shows. But it isn't all from higher production. The company has also been using coal it mined earlier.

Coal India mines coal through subsidiaries such as MCL and SECL, then sells most of it to power plants. These plants received 57.1 million tonnes in October alone. Coal that has been mined but not yet sold sits in inventory.

From April to October, coal production grew just 0.7%, while supplies rose 9.2%. Coal India shipped 66.4 million tonnes more than it mined, over twice the gap of 30.7 million tonnes a year earlier.

The difference came from its stockpile. Coal India's inventory fell from 130.28 million tonnes on 1 April to 66.58 million tonnes on 30 September, nearly halving in six months. Even in October, when production rose 19.3%, it was still 3.1 million tonnes below supplies.

Using up old stock also affects costs. The expense recorded under changes in inventories rose to ₹4,470 crore in April to September, from ₹1,480 crore a year earlier.

A company official says Coal India is close to building its stockpile again. Until then, record supplies partly depend on coal mined in previous years. And the stockpile can only be used once.

Paired bars for April to October: in 2025 Coal India dug 385.5 million tonnes and supplied 416.2; in 2026 it dug 388.2 and supplied 454.6, a gap of 66.4 million tonnes against 30.7.

Bars of Coal India's coal stock: 107.16 million tonnes on 30 September 2025, 130.28 on 1 April 2026, 101.35 on 30 June 2026 and 66.58 on 30 September 2026.

Arrows pointing left for 7 Coal India subsidiaries: MCL's stock fell from 43.76 to 20.08 million tonnes, SECL's from 24.87 to 11.86, CCL's from 19.36 to 11.96, WCL's from 13.03 to 5.18, ECL's from 11.99 to 6.95, BCCL's from 9.17 to 6.34 and NCL's from 8.06 to 4.20.

Sources