South Eastern Coalfields (SECL) of Chhattisgarh finished second in coal production among eight entities of the state-run Coal India (CIL) in fiscal year 2022-23. With 193.3 million tonnes (mt) of output in FY23, neighbouring Odisha-based Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL) retained its position as the country's largest coal-producing company for the second consecutive fiscal year. SECL held the number one spot until FY21. Its output, however, fell to 142.5 mt in FY22, only to be surpassed by MCL, which produced 168.2 mt of coal. In FY23, the SECL and MCL planned to produce 182 mt and 173 mt of coal, respectively. Despite its production growing by over 17 per cent, the SECL could record an output of 167 mt in 2022-23. The MCL authorities are overjoyed with the achievement, which keeps them in first place in coal production for the second year in a row. We are pleased to report that MCL has met all of its targets well ahead of schedule and has contributed to Coal India exceeding its target of 700 mt set for FY23, said MCL Chairman and Managing Director OP Singh. He claimed that eco-friendly equipment surface miners accounted for 97% of MCL's total production. MCL's growth was less than SECL's at 15%, but the company produced 193.3 mt of coal, which was about 20 mt more than the target and about 26 mt more than the previous year. The SECL’s growth in terms of volume was close to MCL at 24.5 mt compared to the previous year. Prem Sagar Mishra, Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of SECL, described the company's performance as significant. The company has enormous potential. The goal is lofty, and the journey continues. Overburden Removal (OBR) removal reached a new high of 264.10 million cubic meters, a 35% increase year on year. Mishra stated that OBR was a pre-coal extraction process that would assist the SECL in meeting higher production targets in the future. However, SECL's Gevra project set a record in FY23 by becoming the country's first mine to produce more than 50 million tonnes of coal. The project's total output was estimated to be 52.5 mt in FY23. Also Read Housing ministry sets up panel for stalled realty projects Piramal Capital sells two offices to TCG Urban Infra for Rs 110 crore