Coal India readies 52 projects to reach 1 BT target

To attain the one billion tonne coal production target by the fiscal year 2025–26, state-run Coal India Ltd (CIL) has developed 52 coal mining projects, including 13 new coal blocks, a company official said.

"In addition to the expansions and new construction, we are attempting to increase underground coal mining to obtain better grades of coal that will lessen India's reliance on imported coal. Eight of the 52 projects are underground ones, he said.

In FY23, Coal India produced 703 million tonnes of coal; their goal for FY24 is 780 MT. By FY26, when India is expected to begin exporting coal, it has set a goal to generate 1 billion tonnes of coal.

A total of 271 MT of coal from these coal projects will go into the production of CIL in FY26. Their entire peak rated capacity will be 445 MT and will occur throughout the course of several coal mining projects through the financial year 2030–31.

The majority of new coal projects are being developed in Jharkhand, where Bharat Coking Coal Ltd.

is working on one project and Central Coalfields Ltd. is working on 15. In Maharashtra, ten projects are in the works, and in Chhattisgarh, nine.

13 new mining projects have been lined up by the CIL through its various subsidiaries, and they will increase 27.4 MT in FY26. 130 MT, or 29% of the combined PR capacity of the 52 projects, is the peak rated capacity of the greenfield projects.

To reduce negative environmental effects, the state-run coal company is concentrating on green mining techniques. It intends to increase output of underground coal by four times, from the current level of 26 MT in FY23 to 100 MT by FY28.