The Union Minister of State for Power K.C. Venugopal has said that the country needs to seriously focus on improving the availability of domestic coal by developing more mines.

Inaugurating the International Conference on Power Plant Operation and Maintenance in New Delhi on Monday, Mr.Venugopal said that with the present production plans indicated by coal companies, the country may have to import 213 Million tonnes of coal by the terminal year of 12th five year plan.

The Minister said that in the changing scenario, power stations have to operate more efficiently to meet the challenge. He pointed out that availability and pricing of coal are two crucial issues confronting the power sector.

The minister asked the National Thermal Power Corporation to work hard for early start of production of coal from its captive mines. He said it will help in bridging the gap between requirement and availability and lowering the cost of power generation.