Page 13 - Coal Industry

Govt plans to expand coal power fleet to meet soaring demand: Report

Coal is likely to account for the lion's share of this expansion, as gas-fired electricity generation is currently unviable due to the high costs of the fuel

Tree cutting begins to expand coal mines in Chhattisgarh's Hasdeo Arand

Tree felling for Parsa East and Kete Basan (PEKB) phase-2 extension coal mines in the biodiversity-rich Hasdeo Arand region of Chhattisgarh's Surguja district has begun amid police security cover. Activists alleged police on Thursday detained those who were protesting against coal mining in the Hasdeo area. The Opposition Congress raised the issue in the state Assembly and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of favouring industrialists. The local administration claimed it had all the necessary permissions to go ahead with tree felling, while police officials said they had visited the residences of some locals to advise them not to create a law and order situation. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai told reporters in the Assembly complex that he has received information about opposition by people (against deforestation) but no arrest has been made. The forest department started felling trees for PEKB phase 2 in Udaipur development block of Surguja district this (Thursday

India's coal production to cross 1 bn tonnes in FY24: Pralhad Joshi

Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday expressed confidence that the country's coal production will cross one billion tonnes in the ongoing financial year. The country's production target of the fossil fuel for 2023-24 is 1,012.14 MT. Speaking during the launch of the ninth round of commercial coal mine auction, the minister said, "This year we are going to cross one billion tonnes production." The estimated demand of coal in the current fiscal is 1,196.60 million tonne (MT). The demand of electricity by 2030 is going to double and to cater to the need the country needs coal, the minister said. With the completion of the ninth round of auction, the sale of 100 coal blocks would be completed. A total of 31 coal mines are being offered in the ninth round of commercial coal mine auctions. The mines being auctioned are spread across coal, lignite-bearing states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana.

Govt to offer 26 blocks at 9th round of commercial coal mine auction on Wed

The Centre will launch the ninth round of commercial coal mines auction on Wednesday, offering as many as 26 blocks to bidders. In pursuit of ensuring energy security and driving economic development, the Ministry of Coal is set to embark on another significant stride with the launch of the 9th round of Commercial Coal Mine Auctions here on 20th December 2023, the Coal Ministry said in a statement. "Of the 26 coal mines to be auctioned, seven are fully explored, while 19 are partially explored blocks," the ministry said. These mines are in the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi will be the chief guest and Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines Raosaheb Patil Danve will be the guest of honour on the occasion. Unlike previous commercial coal mine auctions, there are no restrictions on the sale or utilisation of coal. "Notably, eligibility criteria have been eliminated, removing any technical or financial ..

Average power purchase cost increases by 71 paise per unit during FY22-23

Average power purchase cost increased by 71 paise per unit during FY22-23 due to a rise in various overheads like transmission and distribution rates, Parliament was informed on Thursday. On the rise in power cost due to increased use of imported coal, Union Power Minister RK Singh, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, said, "Average power purchase cost increased by 71 paise only between FY22 and FY23. This is because of increase in various costs including an increase in transmission and distribution costs". The minister explained that with the rise in electricity demand from July 2021 onwards, the consumption of coal in thermal power plants increased. The supply of domestic coal on a daily basis was less than consumption, which resulted in the depletion of coal stock and stocks at plants came down from 28.7 million tonnes (MT) as of June 30, 2021, to about 8.1 million tonnes (MT) as of September 30, 2021, he added. Therefore, in December 2021, the Ministry of Power advised state

Lopsided COP28 boon for India's growing coal and crude oil appetite

India supports changes in global stocktaking text, but weak stand by rich nations to help the fossil fuel economy in the country

State-owned Coal India's capex rises 7.6% to Rs 10,492 cr in Apr-Nov period

State-owned CIL on Tuesday said that its capital expenditure increased by 7.6 per cent to Rs 10,492 crore in the first eight months of the ongoing financial year. The public sector enterprise's captital expenditure was Rs 9,751 crore in the year-ago period, Coal India Ltd (CIL) said in a BSE filing. "CIL's capital expenditure increased by Rs 741 crore in eight months ending November FY 2024 to Rs 10,492 crore," the company said in a statement. Coal India accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output. "We are striving to achieve around 80 per cent of the current financial year's total targeted capex of Rs 16,500 crore by the third quarter ending December," a senior executive of the company said. CIL's intensified focus on strengthening coal evacuation infrastructure in its mining areas saw the capex going up to Rs 3,247 crore, representing 31 per cent of the entire capex, till November in the current fiscal. "Setting up railway sidings and corridors at Rs 1,842 crore; ...

South Eastern Coalfields to invest Rs 169 crore on 'Miyawaki' plantation

Headquartered in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district, SECL operates 65 coal mines, of which 39 lie in Chhattisgarh while remaining 26 are located in Madhya Pradesh

Transition away from coal not happening in foreseeable future: Govt

The transition away from coal is not happening in India in the foreseeable future, Parliament was informed on Monday. Although India is pushing for renewable, non-fossil-based energy, but the share of coal in the energy basket is going to remain significant in the years ahead to ensure affordable energy availability, coal and mines minister Pralhad Joshi said. "In India, the transition away from coal or Just Transition is not happening in the foreseeable future," the minister said. Replying to a query in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said although, in due course, some mines may close down due to exhaustion of reserves, at the same time, many new coal blocks are being operationalised to meet the growing energy demand. "These mines are not only ensuring affordability and energy security of the nation but also providing new additional opportunities for new employment and redeployment of workers in new mines from the to-be-closed mines to ensure better livelihood and also generate ...

India's coal imports drop over 4 pc to 148 million in Apr-Oct period

India's coal imports dropped 4.2 per cent to 148.13 Million Tonnes (MT) in the April-October period of the ongoing financial year. The country's coal imports were 154.72 MT in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal. During the April-October period, non-coking coal imports were 94.53 MT, lower than 104.41 MT imported during the same period last year, according to the data of mjunction services ltd, a B2B e-commerce company. Coking coal imports were at 33.74 MT during the first seven months of the ongoing financial year, slightly up against 32.74 MT in the year-ago period. Imports in October stood at roughly 23.59 MT as against 19.04 MT in October last fiscal, as per the data. Of the total imports in October, inbound shipments of non-coking coal stood at 16.88 MT, against 11.69 MT imported in October last year. Coking coal imports stood at 4.31 MT, against 4.69 MT imported in October last financial year. "There was an increase in volumes as the buyers took fresh positions

COP28 and the coal question

Before India and China can commit to a future without coal, there are geopolitical and technological hurdles that need to be resolved

COP28: India refrained from signing on global renewable energy pledge

India refrained from signing the pledge to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 as the draft text mentioned phasing out coal, which New Delhi doesn't support, according to sources in the Indian delegation. India and China both on Saturday refrained from signing the pledge at the COP28 climate summit to triple the world's renewable energy capacity by 2030 even though New Delhi already committed to it as part of its G20 presidency. During the UN's climate talks here, 118 countries committed to tripling the global renewable energy capacity by 2030 in a highly endorsed initiative. A source in the Indian delegation said that India refrained from signing the pledge as the draft text mentioned phasing out/down coal, which New Delhi doesn't support. India has been asking countries to agree to phase down all fossil fuels rather than a narrower deal to phase down coal. The source said that India has already delivered a deal on the tripling of renewable energy capacity at the G20

Coal production increases 11% to to 84.53 million tonnes in November

India's coal production rose by 11.03 per cent to 84.53 million tonnes (MT) in November compared to 76.14 MT in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal. The production of Coal India Ltd (CIL) increased by 8.74 per cent to 65.97 MT in November 2023 over 60.67 MT in November last fiscal, the Coal Ministry said in a statement. CIL accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output. "The cumulative coal production (up to November 2023) has seen a quantum jump to 591.28 MT (provisional) in FY'23-24 as compared to 524.53 MT during the same period in FY' 22-23 with a growth of 12.73 per cent," the ministry said. The country's coal dispatch increased to 81.63 MT (provisional) last month in comparison to 74.87 MT (provisional) recorded in November last fiscal, registering a growth rate of 9.02 per cent. "The cumulative coal dispatch (up to November 2023) has seen a significant jump to 623.04 MT (provisional) in FY'23-24 compared to 557.80 MT during the corresponding period in ...

CIL's coal output rises 11.5% to 460 mn tonnes during April-November

State-owned CIL on Friday said its coal production grew by 11.5 per cent to reach 460 million tonnes (MT) during the April-November period of the ongoing fiscal. CIL accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output. The company had produced 412.5 MT of coal in the year-ago period, Coal India Ltd (CIL) said in a statement. "With 11.5 per cent year-on-year growth CIL stayed ahead of the annual asking rate of 10.2 per cent. The production saw an upsurge of 47.4 MT in quantum terms compared to 412.5 MT of same period last year," the PSU said. All the seven arms of CIL have registered growth with two of them -- BCCL and NCL -- achieving their respective progressive targets. During the last month CIL's production increased by 8.7 per cent to 66 MT from 60.7 MT in the corresponding month of previous fiscal. Supply of coal by CIL to the power sector registered a rise of 4.7 per cent to 398.7 MT in the April-November period compared to 380.8 MT in the year-ago period. "CIL feels con

India's green dilemma: Struggle for renewables as China powers up with coal

Poor planning by Indian policymakers, coupled with unbridled optimism for renewables, caught India unawares, industry officials noted

Centre aims to add coal-fired power capacity amid record demand: Report

The expansion drive comes ahead of this week's U.N. climate summit COP28, where France and the United States are expected to clamp down on financing for coal plants

Govt asks coal block owners to take necessary steps to operationalise mines

The government on Tuesday asked coal block owners to take necessary steps to operationalise mines that are at an advanced stage of commissioning. In FY24, India might produce 145 Million Tonnes (MT) of coal from commercial and captive blocks, that would help bring down the country's import of fossil fuel. M Nagaraju, Additional Secretary and Nominated Authority, Ministry of Coal, chaired a review meeting of producing and expected to produce captive and commercial coal mines during 2023-24. During the meeting, Nagaraju asked the companies allotted coal blocks to take necessary steps to achieve production target of the current fiscal. "The total coal production from captive/commercial coal mines during April 1, 2023 to November 20, 2023 was around 80 MT, indicating a year-on-year growth of 23 per cent from the same period of FY 2022-23," the coal ministry said in a statement.

Domestic coal prices match international trends without raising power bills

Linkage policy gives power plants assured supply of the fuel while giving them more scope to sell electricity in exchange market

Chhattisgarh-based SECL records fastest 100 mt output since inception

The company joined the 100 mt club on November 18 and achieved the target in the shortest period since it came into being in 1985

Uttar Pradesh govt to invest Rs 18K crore in coal-fired power plant

This comes amid the rep­orts that the Government of India is looking at facilitating easier funding for new coal-fired thermal power plants in the wake of a sharp jump in electricity demand