SECL records 144.71 MT of coal production in 2017-18, retains top spot

South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), has retained the position as country’s largest coal producing company with total coal output of 144.71 million tonnes (MT) in 2017-18.

The company with headquarters in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district has been the flagship entity of the CIL since its inception in 1985. In 2015-16, the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) had surpassed the SECL. In 2016-17, SECL again outshined the MCL and retained the position in 2017-18.

The MCL produced 143.06 MT of coal in 2017-18. The CIL’s total coal output during the period stood at 567.37 MT with 95 per cent achievement and 2.4 per cent growth over previous year.

Registering a growth of 3.4 per cent over the previous year, SECL recorded highest ever coal offtake of 151.11 MT, with 9.8 per cent growth over 2016-17. 

“The company has displayed exceptional operational excellence and delivered an outstanding all-round performance,” SECL Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) B R Reddy said in a message.

In terms of financial performance, SECL is likely to achieve highest ever gross sales value in 2017-18 by surpassing its previous record of Rs 292.15 bn in 2016-17, he said. In the year ahead (2018-19), they (SECL) have even stiffer commitments and more rigorous challenges, Reddy added.

The SECL has been given an ambitious target of producing 167 MT of coal. “It requires additional production of 6 MT from new projects and over 16 MT from expansion projects,” Reddy said.

Having coal reserves straddling between the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, SECL is operating 89 mines. Of it, 35 mines are in Madhya Pradesh and 54 mines in Chhattisgarh. Besides, the company has a Coal Carbonization Plant namely Dankuni Coal Complex (DCC) at Dankuni in West Bengal on lease basis from CIL.