Coal e-auction rose 29% in 2015-16: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi: Government on Monday said coal allocation via the electronic auction (e-auction) route rose by 29 percent in 2015-16, fetching 33 per cent more than the notified prices.

"The increase in coal quantity allocated in 2015-16 through e-auction was about 29 percent, that garnered about 33 percent higher prices over the notified prices," Piyush Goyal, Coal and Power Minister, said in a reply to Rajya Sabha today.

The increase in booking value through e-auction in 2015-16 was Rs 1,121.06 crore, he said.

"Sale through e-auction was augmented in 2015-16 through separate windows for power plants and non-power sector including captive power plants," the Minister added.

In a separate reply, the he said that as on August 3, 2016, the coal stock in the power plants is 30.3 million tonnes (MT), which is sufficient for 22 days of operation of power plants, as against the normative stock of 21 days.

"At present, there is no power station with critical coal stock," he added.