Coal India Ltd (CIL) reported that capital expenditure rose 16.64 per cent year on year in the first quarter of fiscal 2027 to Rs 3,399 crore, equivalent to Rs 33,990 million (mn) or Rs 33.99 bn. The April-June outlay exceeded the quarterly target at 101.5 per cent of the Rs 3,349 crore goal and represented 20.6 per cent of the company's Rs 16,500 crore capex plan for the year.

More than three quarters of the spending was concentrated on land acquisition, evacuation infrastructure and plant and machinery, reflecting the company's focus on enabling production and supply targets. Land acquisition and rehabilitation and resettlement emerged as the largest head at Rs 804 crore, or Rs 8,040 mn, about one quarter of the quarter's capex, while CIL has earmarked Rs 4,173 crore, or Rs 41,730 mn, for land activities in fiscal 2027.

Evacuation infrastructure received Rs 949 crore, or Rs 9,490 mn, with Rs 754 crore allocated to railway sidings and corridors and Rs 195 crore for coal-handling plants, silos, weighbridges and roads. Capital expenditure on plant and machinery was Rs 819 crore, or Rs 8,190 mn, covering heavy earth-moving machinery and washery expansion. The company said timely land acquisition remained critical for project commencements and expansions irrespective of reserve availability.

CIL also directed Rs 278 crore, or Rs 2,780 mn, to solar projects and invested Rs 207 crore, or Rs 2,070 mn, in joint ventures as it expanded into renewable energy and allied businesses. The miner's full year capex in fiscal 2026 stood at Rs 19,607 crore, or Rs 196,070 mn, surpassing its annual target of Rs 16,000 crore, or Rs 160,000 mn, indicating an elevated investment trajectory for capacity and supply resilience.