MCL coal output up 4.6 %

Mahanadi Coalfield Limited (MCL), the second largest subsidiary of Coal India Limited(CIL), has recorded a coal production of 107.894 million tonne (MT) in the last financial year.

The production of MCL is 4.75 million tonne more than the previous fiscal and represents 4.63 per cent growth as against 3.8 percent growth achieved in the overall production of all CIL companies. However, the company remained behind the annual target of 112 MT fixed by the coal ministry for the year 2012-13 due to various adverse factor like lack of environmental clearance for some mines and frequent disturbances causing mines bandhs, sources pointed out.

Talcher coalfield did very well with the production of 61.19 MT, having a growth of 13.6 per cent over the previous year. On the other hand, Ib valley coalfield consisting of Basundhara and Ib valley field slightly lagged behind. It produced 46.699 MT as against the previous year's figure of 46.699 MT.

Jagannath area in Talcher coal field has not only stood number one in the company in term of production but never in the MCL history, an area had produced such amount of coal. It produced more than 32 .837 million tone of coal, having growth of 42 per cent over the previous year.

MCL, comprising of collieries in Odisha also registered 9.21 per cent growth in coal dispatch to power sector. Official figure stated that it dispatched 111.961 MT of coal last year while in the previous year, the offtake was 102 MT. CIL produced 452.2 million tonne coal in 2012-13 while its previous year's output was 435 MT.