First underground commercial coal mine begins production in Madhya Pradesh

Coal production has commenced at the Urtan and Dhirauli mines in Madhya Pradesh, boosting domestic coal supply and supporting India's energy security goals

Coal production has commenced from the Urtan and Dhirauli coal mines in Madhya Pradesh, with the Ministry of Coal describing the start of operations at Urtan as a landmark achievement because it is the first underground coal mine to begin production under the commercial coal auction regime.

 

The Urtan coal mine, located in Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district and allocated to JMS Mining Private Limited, started coal production on May 15, according to a statement issued by the ministry on Tuesday.

 

In another development, coal production also commenced at the Dhirauli coal mine in the Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh. The mine, allocated to Mahan Energen Limited, started production on May 17.

   

The ministry said the Dhirauli mine is expected to strengthen coal supply from the resource-rich Singrauli region.

 

According to the statement, the commencement of production from the two mines is expected to enhance domestic coal availability and support India’s efforts towards self-reliance in the energy sector.

 

The ministry added that increased output from the mines would help meet rising domestic coal demand, reduce reliance on imports, and support sustained economic growth.

 

The development comes as the government continues to push commercial coal mining reforms and expand domestic production capacity to strengthen energy security.