Kolkata, Nov 2 (IANS): State-run Coal India Limited (CIL) on Friday said it has supplied 272.88 million tonnes (mt) of coal to the power sector during the April- October period, up by 8.9 per cent, from 250.68 mt in the year-ago period.

"We have supplied 22.20 mt of more coal to the power sector during April-October 2018 than what we did a year ago in the same period," a CIL official said.

With coal production at 306.24 mt during the first seven months of the current fiscal, the miner posted a double digit output growth of 10.1 per cent compared to the same period last year, the volume increase being 28.21 mt.

During the April-October period of last year, the company's coal production was 278.03 mt.

Overall off-take ending October 2018 of the fiscal was 340.81 mt clocking a 7.4 per cent growth against 317.28 mt on a comparable period last year.

"Our production and off-take is now over 17.5 lakh tonnes per day and we aim to take it up further in November to raise the coal stocks at power plants", said the official.

Rake loading to power sector grew by 8.2 per cent during April-October 2018. CIL as a whole loaded 202.8 rakes per day on an average to power stations ending October 2018 against 187.5 rakes per day for similar period last year, the increase in absolute terms being 15.3 rakes per day.

The company liquidated 34.57 mt of its pit-head stock during the first seven months, as the stockpile stood at around 21 mt at the end of October 2018.

CIL began FY 2019 with 55.55 mt of coal stock.