India aims to produce 186.63 million tonne (mt) of coal exclusively from captive and commercial mines during the FY2024-25 and increase it further to 225.69 mt in FY26, the government said on Monday.
“As per the present plans of the ministry, production target from such mines will be touching 383.56 mt by FY2029-30,” the government said. As of December 2023, 50 captive mines are producing coal, with 32 allocated to the power sector, 11 to the non-regulated sector, and seven mines allocated for coal sales.
“Within three and half years after the commencement of commercial coal mines auction in 2020, six mines with a cumulative peak rated capacity of 14.87 mt have already started production,” the government stated.
Coal secretary Amrit Lal Meena had earlier told FE that the government has set a target of 162 mt coal production by FY24 and 182 mt by FY25 from private captive and commercial mines. By FY26, the private sector is expected to produce 220 mt of coal.
“This year, our endeavor is to reduce coal imports to 19% by March 2024, and then by FY25-end, to 16%. By March 2026, the imports will have come down to 11%,” Meena had mentioned. This would mean that in over two years from now, imports of coal varieties that can be produced from domestic mines would be reduced to nil.
According to official data, India’s total coal production from captive and commercial mines reached 14.04 mt in December, reflecting a 38% increase from the same month the previous year. From April 2023 to December 2023, the total coal production from these mines stood at 98 mt.