SECL produces record 144.71 MT coal in FY18

Coal India subsidiary South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) produced a record 144.71 million tonnes (MT) of coal in 2017-18, according to its annual report.

The production rose by 3.36 MT in 2017-18 against 140 MT in 2016-17.

The 2017-18 financial year witnessed a record production of 144.71 MT, which is not only the highest coal production amongst all subsidiaries of CIL but also accounts for more than 21 per cent of the total coal production of India, the company said in its Annual Report 2017-18.

The company is operating 75 opencast and underground mines spread over the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, it added.

From opencast mines, the company produced 130.25 MT coal, registering a rise 3.83 per cent as against 125.45 MT in the preceding fiscal.

However, it witnessed a fall of 0.62 per cent from underground mines at 14.46 MT as against 14.55 MT in 2016-17.

There was also a rise of 9.17 per cent rise in total offtake at 150.28 MT during 2017-18 compared to 137.66 MT in 2016-17.

The offtake by power sector grew 4.45 per cent to 113.31 MT from 108.48 MT in 2016-17.

The offtake by cement sector also rose 19.56 per cent to 2.69 MT from 2.25 MT in 2016-17 fiscal. At 34.27 MT, other users took 27.30 per cent more coal this year as compared to 26.92 MT in the preceding fiscal.

The total dispatch grew 9.76 per cent to 151.09 MT from 137.66 MT in the financial year 2016-17.

While the dispatch through roads rose by 25.59 per cent to 65.97 MT in 2017-18, the dispatch via railways fell by 2.61 per cent to 51.55 MT from 52.93 MT in 2016-17.