India Achieves 47% growth in Coal Production during last Nine Years

New Delhi: During the last nine years, India’s overall coal production has increased by 47% to 893.08 Million tonnes (MT) and supply has touched 877.74 Million tonnes, recording 45.37% growth. The major leap in coal production of 893.08 MT in FY 2023 is the highest in the country's history.

At the same time, per the recently finalised Action Plan for 2023-24 by the Ministry of Coal, the coal production target for the financial year 2023-24 is 1012 Million tonnes by enhancing overall production, efficiency, sustainability and adopting new technologies.

During FY 2022-23, the Ministry signed agreements for a total of 23 coal mines having cumulative peak rated capacity (PRC) of 33.224 MT per annum. Considering the good response received for the 6th round of commercial auctions, it is expected that 25 coal mines will be allocated during FY 2023-24 for commercial mining.

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'Mission Coking Coal' was launched by the Government in August 2021, to develop a roadmap that would suggest ways to augment the production and utilization of domestic coking coal in India by 2030.

Mission Coking Coal document has made recommendations for new exploration, enhancing production, enhancing washing capacity, and auction of new coking coal mines.

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The mission has been launched to enhance the production of coking coal with the following objectives:

• Enhancing coking coal production from 52 Million Tonne (MT) in FY 2022 to 140 MT in FY 2030.
• Enhancing coking coal washing capacity from 23 MT in FY 2022 to 61 MT in FY 2023.
• Coking coal is mainly used in manufacturing of steel through blast furnace route. Domestic coking coal is high ash coal (mostly 18%-49%) and unsuitable for direct use in the blast furnace. Therefore, coking coal is washed to reduce the ash percentage and Indian Prime and Medium Coking Coal (<18 % ash) is blended with imported coking coal (<9% ash) before utilization in the blast furnace.

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