India's coal-fired power plants increase imports of fuel by 18 percent in the year ended March

India’s coal-fired power plants increased imports of the fuel by 18 percent in the year ended March, boosted by purchases from state-run NTPC Ltd., India Coal Market Watch said, citing an unidentified government official.Imports rose to 29.1 million metric tons from 24.6 million a year earlier, the coal newsletter said. This compares with a government target of 35 million tons set by the Central Electricity Authority.NTPC imported 10.57 million tons during that period, up 68 percent from a year earlier, according to the newsletter. That’s 3.3 million tons below the government’s target for the company.