Coal India is focusing on augmenting the production to increase supply of coal to power plants

New Delhi: State-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) has envisaged enhancing its production to reach the level of 1 billion tonnes (BT) coal by the year 2024-25 from its current production level of about 600 MT in order to meet the demand of coal indigenously and to eliminate non-essential import of coal in the country, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Coal India has already identified all resources required that will contribute to its 1 BT production plan and its related issues/enablers like requirement of EC/FC, land, evacuation constraints etc.

In the year 2022-23, Coal India has planned to dispatch coal to the tune of 700 million tonnes (MT), out of which 565 MT is earmarked for the power sector. Out of the above target, Coal India has dispatched 152.49 MT of coal to power sector in the first quarter of the current year achieving a growth of 19 percent over last year.

Most of the requirement of coal in the country is met through indigenous production/supply and CIL contributes more than 80 percent of the indigenous production/supply in the country including supply to power sectors.

There is enough coal reserves in the country as well as in the coal mines of Coal India.

As per the Geological Survey of India (GSI), as on April 1, 2021, the in-situ geological resources of coal in India upto a depth of 1200 m is 352.16 BT which includes proven, indicated and inferred resources. Out of this, the proven resources are 177.18 BT.

As per UNFC classification of Coal India Blocks as on 01.04.2021, a total of 62.66 BT of geological resources have been projectized in CIL blocks with a total mineable resource of 40.63 BT and total balance mineable resource of 29.96 BT. The estimated coal resources in the blocks of the Coal India command area is about 173 BT.

To address the issues of coal supplies to the power sector, an Inter-Ministerial Sub Group comprising of representatives from Ministries of Power, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Railways, CEA, CIL and SCCL meet regularly to take various operational decisions to enhance the supply of coal to thermal power plants as well as for meeting any contingent situations relating to Power Sector including to alleviate critical coal stock position in power plants. In addition to this, an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) has been constituted comprising of Chairman, Railway Board, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Secretary, Ministry of Power to monitor the augmentation of coal supply and power generation capacity. Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Chairperson, CEA are co-opted as Special Invitees as and when required by the IMC. Coal dispatch from the captive coal blocks is also being monitored regularly.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

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