Page 5 - Coal Ministry

India's coal imports up 11.7% to 21 MT in Nov, demand likely to be subdued

The country registered an 11.7 per cent rise in coal imports to 20.95 Million Tonnes (MT) in November as compared to the year-ago period. The country's coal imports in November 2022 was 18.75 MT, according to data compiled by B2B e-commerce company mjunction services. However, coal import in the April-November period of the current financial year dropped to 169.08 MT from 173.47 MT in the year-ago period. There was reduction in coal imports due to ample domestic supply and a slowdown in demand after the festive season in October, mjunction MD and CEO Vinaya Varma said. The demand for imported coal, he said, is likely to remain subdued in the coming months. Of the total import in November 2023, non-coking coal import was at 14.37 MT, against 11.88 MT in the same month the previous year. Coking coal import was at 4.23 MT, against 3.90 MT imported in November 2022. During the April-November period in 2023, non-coking coal import stood at 108.90 MT, lower than 116.28 MT imported dur

Coal production from captive, commercial mines likely at 187 MT in FY25

The government on Monday said that coal production from captive and commercial blocks is likely to be 186.63 Million Tonnes (MT) in the next fiscal. The production will be further enhanced to 225.69 MT in FY26, the coal ministry said in a statement. "As per the present plans of the ministry, production targets from such mines will be touching 383.56 million tonnes by FY 2029-30," the coal ministry said in a statement. In the 2024-25 fiscal, coal production from such mines is expected to rise to 186.63 MT, the government said. In December 2023, the total coal production from captive and commercial coal mines rose 38 per cent to 14.04 MT from 10.14 MT in the year-ago period, it said. As per the latest figures, 50 captive and commercial coal mines are in operation. The total coal production from captive and commercial coal mines in the April 1-December 31, 2023 period was 98 MT, as per the statement. In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the auction process for 41 coal

Eighth round of commercial coal mines auction received great response: Govt

The eighth tranche of commercial coal mine auctions has received an overwhelming response from the industry, the government said on Friday. The last date for submission of bids for the eighth round is January 29. "The ongoing 8th round has witnessed an overwhelming response from the industry, which is evident from the fact that a lot of queries have been received from a number of bidders along with several site-visit requests," the coal ministry said in a statement. The bids received in this tranche will be opened on January 30 in the presence of the bidders. In the eighth round, 39 coal mines have been offered, the ministry said. The round was launched on November 15, 2023 by Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi. The pre-bid meeting for the round was held on December 12 and more than 50 bidders had participated in it.

Coal ministry to build integrated platform for managing coal transport

The AI-powered Smart Logistics Plan will help build data sets for future planning

Coal production in the country increases by 10.75% in 2023: Govt

In a public statement, the Ministry of Coal said the production of Coal India Limited (CIL) has risen to 71.86 million tonnes (mt) in December 2023, as compared to 66.37 mt in December 2022

Coal sector up 10.9% among core industries in Nov on domestic output boost

The data indicates that the combined index of eight core industries showed an increase of 7.8 per cent (provisional) in November 2023, the government said

Coal production rises over 12% to 664.37 MT this fiscal: Ministry

The country's coal production increased 12.29 per cent to 664.37 Million Tonnes (MT) from April to December 25 this fiscal over the year-ago period, according to an official statement. The country's coal output was 591.64 MT in the same period last year. "As per the latest statistics of the Ministry of Coal, the cumulative achievement in coal production during FY 202324, from April 2023 to December 25, 2023, has touched 664.37 MT, indicating a substantial 12.29 per cent growth compared to the corresponding period last year at 591.64 MT," according to an official statement. The coal dispatch from April to December 25 increased to 692.84 MT over 622.40 MT in the year-ago period. The increase ensures a consistent and robust coal supply to meet the energy needs of the power sector, the coal ministry said. "Furthermore, the overall coal dispatch to the power sector from April to December 25, 2023, increased by an impressive 8.39 per cent, reaching 577.11 MT compared to 532.43 MT during

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.

India expected to be surplus in coal production by FY26: Pralhad Joshi

The country is likely to be surplus in coal production by FY26, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. India may be surplus in coal production except for some high quality fossil fuel and coking coal needed for the steel industry and imported coal-based power plants. Replying to a query in Lok Sabha, coal and mines minister Pralhad Joshi said, "India is expected to be surplus in coal production by the year 2025-26 except for some high quality coal and coking coal required for steel sector and ICB plants." To another query, the minster said that against the estimated coal demand of 1,196.60 million tonne (MT) in the current fiscal, the country's production target of the fossil fuel is 1,012.14 MT. Joshi said "the estimated coal demand for 202324 is 1,196.60 MT." The coal production target for 202324 is 1,012.14 MT, the minister said. The government, he said, under a central sector scheme, carries out exploration of coal and lignite through Central Mine Planning & Design Institute .

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 ..

NMET-funded 11 mineral blocks auctioned, six under process: Coal minister

The government on Wednesday said as many as 11 mineral blocks funded by the National Mineral Exploration Trust have been auctioned while six other blocks are under the sale process. The National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) was set up in 2015 to boost regional and detailed mineral exploration activities. "Since inception NMET has funded 270 mineral exploration projects, out of which 162 projects have been completed and the remaining 108 projects are ongoing. "Out of 162 completed projects, 11 projects have been auctioned by the respective state governments and six projects are in pipeline," Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. Of the 11 projects, three are in Odisha, two each in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and one each in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, he said. Of the six NMET blocks under the auction process, five are in Tamil Nadu and one in Karnataka. NMET receives proposals from exploration agencies and

Coal industry index grows to 18.4% in October, says Coal ministry

The index of coal industry rose to 18.4 per cent in October from 9.1 per cent in April. "As per the index of eight core industries for October 2023, released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industries, the index of coal industry has showcased in the last 16 months highest growth of 18.4 per cent (provisional), reaching 172.6 points compared to 145.8 points during the same period last year," the coal ministry said in a statement. The growth in the index of coal industry can be seen due to a substantial rise in production of dry fuel in October to 78.65 Million Tonnes (MT), over 66.32 MT in the corresponding month of previous year. "The remarkable growth of the coal sector and its contribution to the overall growth of the eight core industries are a testament to the continuous efforts and initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Coal," the statement said.

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

Coal ministry to ensure adequate availability of dry fuel at thermal plants

The coal ministry on Monday said it has plans to produce additional quantity of the dry fuel to ensure sufficient availability for thermal power plants. Production enhancement measures include opening of new blocks, expansion of mines capacity and production from captive, commercial mines. "All these three operational components are contributing and have clear plans for further enhancement. The production plans for year 2027 and 2030 will far exceed the likely domestic requirement of thermal power plants in the country, including that for likely additional capacity," the coal ministry said in a statement. The ministry plans to produce 1,404 million tonnes (MT) of coal by 2027 and 1,577 MT by 2030 from the current level of production of about one billion tonnes per annum. Coal supplied to domestic coal-based power plant is around 821 MT for the current year. The ministry said it has taken note of the additional coal requirement for the additional 80 GW of thermal capacity to be add

National Coal Index increases to 143.91 points in September: Coal Ministry

The National Coal Index (NCI), which reflects the change in price of coal, has increased by 3.83 points to 143.91 points in September 2023, an official statement said. This increase was on account of a temporary rise of coal prices in global markets, Ministry of Coal said in a statement. "The NCI is marginally up by 3.83 points to 143.91 in September 2023, the first time increase since April 2023. The NCI is used to determine the premium on a per tonne basis or revenue share (on a percentage basis) based on a market-based mechanism," the ministry said. The National Coal Index (NCI) had been rolled out on June 4, 2020 by the Ministry of Coal and it is a price index which reflects the change in price of coal in a particular month relative to the fixed base year. The index is meant to encompass all transactions of raw coal in the Indian market. This includes coking and non-coking of various grades transacted in the regulated (power and fertilizer) and non-regulated sectors. The ...

Coal ministry asks DFS to classify coal under infrastructure sector

The coal ministry on Saturday said it has requested the Department of Financial Services (DFS) to consider classifying coal under infrastructure sector, a move which will ensure financing of commercial coal mines. This reclassification would allow banks and financial institutions to formulate policies more effectively to meet the increasing requirements of the coal sector in a time-bound manner, the ministry said while noting that coal is likely to remain a primary source of energy in the foreseeable future. "Banks have expressed their willingness to finance coal mines, provided project viability and equity infusion visibility were demonstrated through detailed business plans," the ministry said in a statement. The government has also invited response from companies having coal mines to determine the quantum of financing imperative towards mine development and operationalization, along with the associated timelines meeting the requirement. This collated information has been shared .

Coal ministry generates Rs 28.79 cr revenue via disposal of scrap

The coal ministry on Tuesday said a revenue of Rs 28.79 crore has been generated by disposing of scrap as part of a special campaign. An area of approximately 50,59,012 sq ft has been freed so far via scrap disposal, the coal ministry said in a statement. A total of 1,08,469 physical files have been reviewed so far, and 8,088 old files have been weeded out, it said. Besides, 29,993 e-files have been closed online, after reviewing 80,305 e-files, the ministry said. During the second and third week of the implementation phase of the special campaign, the coal ministry has carried out various activities, identified during the preparatory phase of the campaign, the statement added.

Domestic coal companies supply 500 million tonnes coal in H1 FY24

The ministry said as the rate of production and dispatch is normally higher than the first half of the year, the dispatch of coal would exceed the 1 billion tonne mark during this fiscal year

Coal dispatch may exceed one billion tonnes this fiscal: Coal ministry

The coal ministry on Thursday said the dispatch of coal is likely to exceed one billion tonnes in the current financial year. The coal ministry has set a target to produce and dispatch 1,012 million tonnes (MT) of coal to consumers during the ongoing fiscal. "During the second half of the year, the rate of production and dispatch is normally higher than the first half of the year. It is, therefore, expected that this year's dispatch of coal would exceed the one billion tonne mark," the coal ministry said in a statement. During the last financial year, coal dispatch of 500 MT happened as on November 9. During the current year, the 500 MT dispatch mark has been achieved 23 days in advance. "Achieving record high performance, the Ministry has been able to dispatch 500 MT coal as on October 17 2023. Dispatch of 500 MT of coal in 200 days, despite the monsoon season, in the first half of the year, is an outstanding achievement," it said. Out of 500 MT of coal dispatch, 416.57 MT has be

Jharia Master Plan brings down surface fires sites from 77 to 27

The total count of fire sites decreased from 77 to 67 by 2009 and further dropped to 27 by 2021