• The NCI has declined 238.3 points in May 2022 to 157.7 in May 2023.
• The decline indicates a strong supply of coal in the market, with sufficient availability to meet the growing demands.
• Similarly, NCI for non-coking coal declined 34.3% on year to 147.5 points in May.
  • Non-coking coal is mainly used in thermal plants for power generation due to its inherent lack of caking properties.

ABOUT NATIONAL COAL INDEX (NCI)

• It is released by the Ministry of Coal every month.
• The National Coal Index combines coal prices from all sales channels, including notified prices, auction prices and import prices.
• Established with the base year as fiscal year 2017-18, it serves as a reliable indicator of market dynamics, providing valuable insights into coal price fluctuations.