SCCL's coal output rises 3% to 4.44 MT in April

The company has missed the April output target of 4.94 MT

State-run coal miner Singareni Collieries Company's (SCCL) coal output increased by 2.7% to 4.44 million tonnes (MT) in April.

The output stood at 4.32 MT in the same month last year.

However, SCCL has missed the April output target of 4.94 MT, according to official data.

The coal dispatch was flat at 4.60 MT in April this year as compared with the same month a year ago, the data said.

In 2015-16, SCCL produced 60.38 MT of coal and dispatched 58.68 MT to various categories of consumers.

The company has set a production target of 66.06 MT for the ongoing fiscal.

The government is eyeing 1.5 billion tonnes of coal production by 2020.

SCCL operates 30 underground mines and 16 opencast mines to meet the linkage requirements of major power (66%), cement (13.5%), captive power (6.6%), sponge iron (3.1%) and other customers (10.8%).

SCCL mainly supplies coal to four major power utilities including NTPC Ramagundam, T-Genco power utilities of T S, Karnataka Power Corporation and Parli power station of Mahagenco.

Besides, SCCL supplies coal to 57 cement units, 32 captive power plants and 53 sponge iron units through fuel supply agreements (FSA).