SAIL, Sasan and others assure 41MT of coal output in FY14

Companies like SAIL, Sasan Power, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) have assured the government that they will produce 41.216 million tonnes (MT) of coal from captive mines in the current fiscal.

The output target from the captive blocks set for FY14 is 44.5 MT.

The assurance from the 38 coal producing allocatees came during the meeting held to review the progress of coal production from captive blocks during 2013-14.

"The target of 44.58 million tonnes of coal production from captive coal blocks has been set for the year 2013-14," according to the minutes of the meeting.

The coal block allocatees also intimated the Coal Ministry during the meeting that they have achieved an output of 24.825 MT up to November 2013.

The Ministry also requested the coal block allocatees to bring any other issue pertaining to the development of mines to its notice, the minutes said.

The Ministry had earlier said that 38 coal blocks of firms like SAIL, Hindalco and Prakash Industries have already begun production.

It had also said that 10 coal blocks allocated to firms like GVK Power, Damodar Valley Corporation, Jaiprakash Associates and Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Ltd were nearing production.

Minister of State for Coal Pratik Prakashbapu Patil had said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha in December that the production achieved from the captive coal blocks up to October was at 21.7 million tonne -- 13.6 MT from private companies and 8 MT from government companies.

The Ministry has so far allocated 195 coal blocks to the public and private mines.