A report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said that India is expected to face a wider coal shortage from July to September, due to expectations of higher electricity demand.

New Delhi: The world’s largest coal miner, Coal India Limited, will import the fuel for the first time since 2015, to avoid a repeat of April, when India faced its worst power cuts in more than six years.

In a letter dated May 28, the Union power ministry said that the decision to import coal via Coal India was taken after nearly all states suggested that multiple coal import tenders by states would lead to a confusion. Therefore, they sought centralised procurement through the public sector undertaking.