Coal Ministry reviews production from allocated mines under commercial auction

New Delhi [India], January 4 : M Nagaraju, Additional Secretary and Nominated Authority, Ministry of Coal, chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of "producing and expected to produce" captive and commercial coal mines held here on Wednesday, an official statement said.
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 for FY 2023-24. The Additional Secretary further impressed upon the allottees to take the necessary steps to operationalize the coal blocks that are in the advanced stages of operationalization, the statement added.
"As of December 31, 2023, 50 captive or commercial coal mines are under production, out of which 32 are allocated to the power sector, 11 to the non-regulated sector and seven are allocated for the sale of coal. Within three and a half years after the commencement of the commercial coal mines auction in 2020, six mines with a cumulative peak rated capacity (PRC) of 14.87 million metric tonnes (MT) have already started production," it stated.
In December 2023, the total coal production from captive and commercial coal mines was 14.04 MT, up by 38 per cent 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 metric tonnes per day, as per the release.
"Coal production and dispatch from captive and commercial coal blocks have shown remarkable growth during the period of April 1 to December 31, 2023. The total coal production from captive and commercial coal mines during the period 1st April 2023 to 31st December 2023 was around 98 MT, while the total coal dispatch was 103 MT, indicating a year-over-year 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 growth of 98 per cent and 101 per cent, respectively," the statement further stated.
"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," it further stated.