Page 3 - Coal Sector

Coal production increases by 7% to 370.67 mn tonne in April-August

The country's coal production rose by 7.12 per cent to 370.67 million tonne from April to August 25, an official statement said on Tuesday. Coal production was 346.02 MT in the year-ago period. "Ministry of Coal has achieved upswing in overall coal production up to 25th August 2024. The cumulative coal production for 2024-25, as on August 25, 2024, has significantly increased to 370.67 MT, compared to 346.02 MT during the same period in FY 2023-24," it said. The overall coal dispatch was 397.06 MT as on August 25, 2024, in the current financial year, registering year-on-year growth of 5.48 per cent. Coal dispatch to the power sector rose to 325.97 MT from 313.44 MT in the year-ago period. "This ensures a steady supply of coal to meet the energy requirements of the power sector," the statement added. The overall coal stock position, including pitheads at mines, thermal power plants, and in transit, reached 121.57 MT as of August 25, 2024. This represents a substantial increase of

NCI declines 3.48% in June, indicates sufficient availability in market

Indicating sufficient coal availability in the market, the National Coal Index (NCI) dropped 3.48 per cent to 142.13 points in June 2024. The NCI was at 147.25 points in June 2023, the coal ministry said in a statement on Friday. This fall indicates sufficient availability of coal in the market to meet the growing demands. NCI is a price index that combines coal prices from all sales channels, including notified prices, auction prices and import prices. It considers prices of coking and non-coking coal of various grades transacted in the regulated (power and fertilizer) and non-regulated sectors. Established with the base year as fiscal 2017-18, NCI serves as a reliable indicator of market dynamics, providing valuable insights into price fluctuations. Additionally, the premium on coal auctions indicates the pulse of the industry, and the sharp decline in coal auction premium confirms the sufficient coal availability in the market. The growth of 14.58 per cent in the country's coa

Coal production increases by 6.69% to 74.07 mn tonnes in July: Govt

India's coal output rose by 6.69 per cent year-on-year to 74.07 million tonnes (MT) in July, the government said on Thursday. The country's coal production was 69.42 MT in the corresponding month of previous fiscal, the coal ministry said in a statement. Cumulative coal dispatch witnessed a significant boost in July 2024, touching 79.54 MT, compared to 76.05 MT recorded in July 2023, registering a growth rate of 4.58 per cent. In a separate statement, the ministry said that vesting orders were issued for 10 strategically important coal mines, marking a significant advancement in the nation's coal production capabilities. This initiative, which includes one fully explored and nine partially explored mines, is set to enhance energy security and drive economic growth across the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh, it said. Coal and mines minister G Kishan Reddy urged the successful bidders to focus on increasing coal production and reducing imports.

Coal production from captive, commercial coal mines grow by 35% in Apr-Jun

The government on Wednesday said that coal production from the captive and commercial coal mines grew by 35 per cent to 39.53 million tonnes (MT) in the first quarter of this fiscal. The coal production from captive and commercial coal mines was 29.26 MT in the first quarter of FY24. "Similarly, dispatch has shown a growth of 34.25 per cent YoY, from 34.07 MT in Q1 of FY24 to 45.68 MT in Q1 of FY25," the coal ministry said in a statement. The coal output for the power sector has seen a substantial increase, rising from 25.02 MT in the first quarter of last year to 30.16 MT in the first quarter of this year, marking a 20.5 per cent year-on-year growth. The government said that it remains firmly committed to assisting all coal block allottees to overcome challenges and optimise their operations. The primary goal of the coal ministry is to significantly augment coal production, ensuring a consistent and reliable supply to meet the nations' escalating energy needs. "Through collabora

Coal India's production increases by 8% during the first quarter

The Union Ministry of Power has mandated the import of coal for blending at thermal power plants to continue till October 2024

Pralhad Joshi: From mining coal to building green energy and food security

Joshi is considered a trusted ally by MPs across parties and this has helped him push for coal reforms in states and get support from various departments such as railways and shipping

India doubled new coal power capacity in 2023: Global Energy Monitor

The survey also revealed a substantial increase in coal power proposals in India, with both public and private sectors proposing 11.4 GW of new capacity

CIL's FY24 production jumps 10% as stock gets a fillip ahead of summer

The jump in coal production comes at a time when the country is preparing for a record high power demand expected due to extreme heat this summer

Coal sector grows 11.6% in February, highest growth in core sectors

The coal sector has registered an 11.6 per cent growth, the highest among all eight core industries of the economy, in February, an official statement said on Monday. The index of coal industry has reached 212.1 points during February as compared to 190.1 points during the same month last year, the coal ministry said. "The coal sector has exhibited highest growth of 11.6 per cent (provisional) among the eight core industries for the month of February 2024 as per the Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) (Base Year 2011-12) released by Ministry of Commerce & Industries," it said. On a cumulative basis, the index of coal industry increased by 12.1 per cent during April to February 2023-24 over the corresponding period of the previous year. ICI measures the combined and individual production performance of eight core industries namely, cement, coal, crude oil, electricity, fertilizers, natural gas, refinery products, and steel. The Combined Index of Eight Core Industries experienced a

Coal gasification is reliable, will strengthen India's energy security

Serious efforts are needed make this energy supply alternative a success

Goal is to build capacity, reduce imports of coal, machinery: Coal secy

India is working on achieving its goal to reduce spending on importing machinery and equipment for coal mining and simultaneously building up its own capacity to step up exports to other countries, Amrit Lal Meena, Union Secretary, Ministry of Coal said here on Saturday. Coal India Limited (CIL) is still dependent on import of high capacity mining machines, rope shovels, 190T Dumpers and front-end loaders. The average annual import of these high capacity mining machines of Coal India Limited (CIL) is approximately Rs 750 crores for which customs duty of about Rs 250 crore has to be paid, he said. CIL has been placing trial orders to encourage manufacturers to develop these equipment in India and results have been encouraging, Meena said while addressing a stakeholders meet on 'Make in India' initiatives for mining machineries here. CIL plans to phase down imports of these equipment gradually over the next few years and make the vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat a reality, the secretary

Coal sector contributes Rs 70,000 cr every yr to Centre, states: Govt

The coal sector contributes over Rs 70,000 crore every year to the Centre and states, through GST, royalties and other levies, the government said on Monday. These funds play a significant role in the socio-economic development and infrastructure enhancement in those coal-bearing areas, the coal ministry said in a statement. "The coal sector contributes over Rs 70,000 crore annually to the Centre and state governments through royalties, GST, and other levies," the statement said. "Coal production generates substantial revenue for both Centre and state governments, with royalty collections reaching Rs 23,184.86 crore in the fiscal year 2022-23," the statement said. Coal is the single-largest contributor to railway freight, with an average share of nearly 49 per cent of the total freight income amounting to Rs 82,275 crore in 2022-23 alone. This revenue contribution has surpassed 33 per cent of total railway earnings.

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

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.

Making history, COP28 nations agree to 'transition away' from fossil fuels

Coal singled out for phasedown; India calls for climate equity and justice

Coal sector saw scams in past, transparent system now in place: Joshi

There were massive scams in the country's coal sector in the past but now such a robust and transparent system has been established that even the coal minister cannot allocate one kg of coal to anyone in a discretionary manner, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said Wednesday. Replying to a question related to his ministry in the Lok Sabha, the Union coal minister said the country is in the process of producing one billion tonnes of coal, fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'. "Now we have a very robust and transparent system. I can't even give a single kilogram of coal in a discretionary manner. I can't give a coal block in a discretionary manner. We all know how coal blocks were allocated in the past. There were massive scams," Joshi said. H said commercial coal mining has started in the country and it will bring efficiency and competition in coal production, attract investment and help create more jobs in the sector.

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.

India needs to add 80 GW coal power by 2030 to meet demand: Union minister

India needs to add thermal coal-based power generation capacity of 80 GW against the 27 GW currently under construction as the peak power demand in the country would spike to 335 GW by 2030 from 241 GW at present, Union Power Minister R K Singh said on Tuesday. Singh presided over a review meeting on thermal power capacity addition in the country where independent power producers and state-owned generators NTPC, SJVN, NHPC, DVC, THDCIL, and NLCIL participated virtually and in physical mode on Tuesday. Besides energy secretaries of 13 major states were also invited for deliberations. Addressing the review meeting, Singh said India's peak power demand would touch 335 GW in 2029-30 from the present level of 241 GW. Peak power demand had touched all-time high of 241 GW in September, reflecting rise in electricity consumption in the country with expansion of economic activities as well as per capita usage. The minister said India needs 80 GW of coal-based thermal power generation capac

Clean energy overtakes fossil fuels in global job market: IEA report

Clean energy sectors added 4.7 million jobs globally, while fossil fuel jobs recovered more slowly after layoffs in 2020

Notable growth in coal sector due to rise in output of fossil fuel: Govt

The Centre on Thursday said the significant growth in the coal sector is due to a rise in production of the fossil fuel during September. The production of coal in September 2023 increased to 67.27 million tonne (MT), against 58.04 MT in the year-ago period. As per the index of eight core industries for September 2023 released by Ministry of Commerce & Industries, the index of coal sector showed a year-on-year growth of 16.1 per cent to 148.1 points. This is the highest growth in last 14 months except for August 2023, the coal ministry said in a statement. The latest data indicates that the combined index of eight core industries has shown a noteworthy increase of 8.1 per cent (provisional) in September 2023, compared to the same period in the previous year. The Centre has played a crucial role in driving this growth through various strategic initiatives like amendment of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 2021, allowing captive mines to sell coal or lignite