New Delhi: India’s overall coal production has seen a jump of 22.6 percent in the last five years from 728.72 MT in FY 2018-2019 to 893.08 MT in FY 2022-23, said the Ministry of Coal on Wednesday. In comparison, India’s electricity generation has increased by 18.03 percent during the same period, with the figure at 1,376.095 BU in 2018-19 and at 1,624.158 BU in 2022-23. “The priority of the Ministry is to enhance the domestic coal production to reduce the dependence on substitutable coal imports,” said the Ministry of Coal.

“Ministry of Coal has initiated several measures to ramp up the domestic coal production to achieve self-reliance to meet the demand of all sectors and ensure adequate coal stocks at thermal Power Plants. The exceptional growth in coal production has paved the way for energy security of the Nation,” the ministry said.

Coal India has increased production by 16% in 5 yrs

According to figures released by the Ministry of Coal on Wednesday, in the last five years, the production of Coal India Limited (CIL) has increased by 703.21 MT (Million tonnes) (in 2022-23) as compared to 606.89 MT in FY 2018-2019 with a growth of 15.9 percent. SCCL has shown impressive growth at 67.14 MT in FY 2022-23 from 64.40 MT in FY 2018-19 with a growth of 4.3 percent. Captive and other mines have also taken a lead in coal production by 122.72 MT in FY 2022-23 from 57.43 MT in FY 2018-19 with a growth of 113.7, said the Coal Ministry.

Annual coal production target for 2023-24 at 1 BT

The annual coal production target set for the FY 2023-2024 is 1,012 MT or 1.012 BT.

“Apart from this, Ministry is proactively involved in promoting sustainable development in conjunction with coal production, by emphasising on environmental protection, resource conservation, societal welfare, and measures to preserve our forests and biodiversity. Ministry of Coal has also formulated a strategy to develop an integrated approach for eliminating road transportation of coal in mines and has taken steps to upgrade mechanised coal transportation and loading system under ‘First Mile Connectivity’ projects,” said the Coal Ministry.

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