The Insolvency Service said enough coal would be bought to keep the ovens alight as talks with "interested parties" continue about their future.
A spokesman said a further decision would be made next week.
The steelworks are with receivers after owners SSI UK went into liquidation, blaming a slump in global steel prices.
A statement from the Insolvency Service said: "A decision has been made to buy sufficient coal to keep the Redcar Coke Ovens going until the weekend, enabling the Official Receiver to continue discussions with interested parties about purchasing assets in working order.
"A decision about purchasing further coal to keep the ovens operational beyond the weekend will be taken at the end of this week."
The government has promised an Â£80m aid package to help the 1,700 workers who have lost their jobs.

Canon Jeremy Pemberton is a chaplain at Lincoln Hospital and has Permission to Officiate and leads occasional services in Nottinghamshire.
Gay marriage became legal in England and Wales last month but the move was not supported by the Church of England.
The Bishop of Lincoln said Mr Pemberton had been reminded of this policy.
Mr Pemberton, who describes himself as activist for LGBT equality in church and workplace, married his long-term partner on Saturday.
Supporters on social media predicted he would be the first of many gay clergy to wed.
The Bishop of Lincoln, the Right Reverend Christopher Lowson, said: "I am aware that a member of the clergy who works in the Diocese of Lincoln has married a partner of the same sex.
"The priest concerned wrote to me in advance to explain his intention and we had a subsequent meeting in which I explained the guidelines of the House of Bishops."
Commenting on Twitter last night, Mr Pemberton thanked well wishers but said "Nay-sayers we can talk another timeâ€¦maybe?"

Sheffield Eagles said it had failed to find a venue in the city for the 2017 season but had reached agreement to use Wakefield Trinity's Belle Vue Stadium.
The Championship club has been without a permanent home since the 2013 demolition of the Don Valley Stadium.
Sheffield City Council said it was working with the club to secure its future in the city.
The move to Wakefield is subject to approval by the sport's governing body.
Read more about this and other stories from across South Yorkshire
The club said season ticket prices would be reduced and it was investigating introducing some form of subsidised transport for fans.
Mark Aston, head coach, said the club had tried everything to stay in the city.
He said: "We have tried everywhere, every single football club and every ground we can think of.
"It is a crying shame, it is a slant on a great city that we cannot get the support in our hour of need."
The club had hoped to eventually move into the Olympic Legacy Park in Attercliffe but Mr Aston said delays are damaging the club's ability to attract investors.
Sheffield City Council said the club had been told the pitch at the Olympic Park would be available for most of their 2017 games.
"However, the council has always been clear that spectator facilities around the pitch will have to be provided by a private investor," a spokesman added.
"We know that the Eagles continue to work on securing an investor which could potentially help them invest in the Olympic Park facilities."
Coke ovens at the SSI Steelworks in Redcar will remain lit until at the least the weekend, the site's receivers have confirmed.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
An Anglican hospital chaplain has become what is believed to be the first member of the clergy in Britain to have a gay marriage.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
A Rugby league club said it has been forced to move almost 30 miles (48km) away from its home city.