India has cut coal supplies to the non-power sector and put on hold plans for some fuel auctions for utilities without supply deals due to a slump in inventories, even as the country battles a seasonal jump in demand for electricity. The supply cuts come months after India’s most crippling coal shortage in recent years led to power cuts lasting up to 14 hours in some states and amid worries grueling summer temperatures will exacerbate shortages. Coal inventories at state government-owned utilities, which account for a third of all coal-fired plants, have slipped to 22% of the mandated quantity, the lowest this year. Inventory levels below 25% are considered “critical”. Reuters Graphics State-run Coal India, which accounts for more than 80% of […]