To secure fuel supplies to run its thermal power plants, India’s single largest coal consumer and State-owned NTPC plans to create a separate coal mining division. NTPC, India's largest electricity generator, has been concerned about the quality of fuel supplies from Coal India (CIL).
NTPC plans to create a new position of director (mining) on its board, along with a position of executive director (mining) to oversee the creation of the new division. NTPC has 10 captive coal blocks, but has not been able to make them operational.
With 15 coal-fuelled projects, the utility has a capacity to generate 41,684 megawatts (mw) of electricity. Of its annual requirement of 160 million tonnes (mt) of coal, NTPC imports around 16 mt. The balance comes from state-run miners such as CIL and Singareni Collieries Co.