119 Figure 4: Monthly minimum and maximum temperature variation in the Singrauli region during 2024 (°C). Source: NASA POWER database. 4.4 Impact on Coal Production and Despatch NCL operates 10 highly mechanized opencast mines, producing approximately 0.381 million tonnes of coal per day, with an average daily dispatch of approximately 0.378 million tonnes to pithead and distant thermal power plants. Major consumers include NTPC Limited, Lanco Power, Hindalco Industries, and Anpara Thermal Power Station, collectively supporting power generation of approximately 20 GW. Figure 5 and Figure 6 illustrate monthly coal production and coal dispatch to the power sector over the last five years. A drastic drop is observed in both coal production and dispatch during August of FY 2024-25 compared to the preceding month, July, marking the lowest levels recorded for the month in the past five years. While similar downward trends are seen in previous years, the decline in FY 2024-25 is notably sharper, indicating a more severe impact of the monsoon. In earlier years, such drops were present but less pronounced, suggesting that the 2024 monsoon had a more disruptive effect on operations. 46.62 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Temperature (in °C) Temperature (Min) Temperature (Max)
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