New Delhi: Within three-and-a-half years after the commencement of commercial coal mines auction in 2020, six mines with a cumulative peak rated capacity (PRC) of 14.87 million tonne (MT) have already started production, said the Ministry of Coal on Thursday. It usually takes four-five years for a coal mine to be operationalised, say industry experts. Additional Coal Secretary M Nagaraju chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of “producing and expected to produce” captive and commercial coal mines held here on January 3.
During the meeting, he appreciated the efforts of all the allottees for the commendable increase in coal production and advised them to put in further efforts to achieve the committed coal production targets of FY 2023-24. The Additional Secretary further impressed upon the allottees to take necessary steps to operationalise the coal blocks that are in advanced stages of operationalisation.
As of December 31, 2023, 50 captive/commercial coal mines are under production, out of which 32 mines are allocated to the power sector, 11 to non-regulated sector and seven mines are allocated for the sale of coal.
In December 2023, the total coal production from captive and commercial coal mines was 14.04 MT, up by 38 percent from 10.14 MT in the same month of the previous year. At the same time, the total coal dispatched from captive and commercial coal mines was 13.32 MT, up by 39 percent from 9.58 MT in December 2022. The average daily coal dispatch in the month of December 2023 is 4.3 lakh tonne per day.
Coal production and dispatch from captive and commercial coal blocks has shown a remarkable growth during the period from April 1 to December 31, 2023. The total coal production from captive and commercial coal mines during the period April 1 to December 31, 2023 was around 98 MT, while the total coal dispatch was 103 MT indicating a y-o-y growth of 26 percent and 32 percent, respectively, from the same period of FY 2022-23. The highest increase in coal production was from the Non-Regulated Sector and Commercial coal mines with a growth of 98 percent and 101 percent, respectively.
"The Ministry of Coal is committed to maintaining this momentum, striving to achieve ambitious production and dispatch targets. By securing a steady supply of coal, the ministry aims to safeguard India's energy future and fuel the economic growth further," said the statement.
