The coal stocks at all thermal power plants have reached an all-time high of 61.3 million tonnes, which is sufficient to meet 25 days of consumption, railway ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The ministry said that because of its silo loading infrastructure, the national transporter could transit the coal stock efficiently which helped in achieving the energy security during the peak summer and upcoming monsoon season.
Over the years, the share of coal loaded through silos has been steadily rising – from 18.8% in FY23 to 29% in FY26 (till date).
A high-level meeting was held on Tuesday between the minister of coal and mines G. Kishan Reddy, and minister of railways Ashwini Vaishnaw to review coal logistics and the efficiency of transportation systems.
During the discussion, the ministers deliberated on ways to further accelerate mechanised process of bulk coal loading into railway wagons. “The primary focus of the discussion was on accelerating silo loading infrastructure, which plays a critical role in improving the quality and speed of coal evacuation,” the statement said.
Silo loading is a mechanised process of loading bulk materials (like coal) into railway wagons directly from a storage silo, rather than using conventional methods like front-end loaders or manual shoveling. Silo loading ensures uniform coal sizing, eliminates complaints related to oversized boulders from power plants, reduces damage to wagons, and enables reliable operations unaffected by adverse weather conditions.