Page 2 - Coal

Rain may have washed it away: Meghalaya minister on 4K tonnes missing coal

As the Meghalaya High Court pulled up the state government over the disappearance of over 4,000 tonnes of coal, a minister on Monday claimed that heavy rain in the state might have washed it away. The high court has directed the state government to take action against officials under whose watch the coal went missing. Speaking to reporters, Excise Minister Kyrmen Shylla said, "Meghalaya receives the highest rainfall. You never know... because of rain, the coal might have swept away. Chances are very high." The high court had on July 25 pulled up the state government over the vanishing of coal from Rajaju and Diengngan villages and instructed it to trace those responsible for lifting the coal illegally. The minister, however, clarified that he was not trying to justify the disappearance, and admitted there was no conclusive evidence yet to determine whether the loss was due to natural causes or any illegal activity. "I cannot blame just the rain. It could be or it could not be. I .

4,000 tonnes of illegally mined coal vanish in Meghalaya; HC seeks answers

The Meghalaya HC noted that the missing stock of 4,000 MT coal had earlier been surveyed and recorded, yet 'unidentified persons' managed to lift and move it, exposing failures in ground-level enforce

FGD rule relaxation may cut electricity cost by 25-30 paise per unit

The government's move to ease sulphur emission rules for most coal-fired power plants strikes a delicate balance between costs, climate and compliance and is expected to cut electricity costs by 25-30 paise per unit, officials said on Sunday. In a gazette notification, the government has restricted the 2015 mandate of installing flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems that remove sulphur from a power plants' exhaust gases, only to plants located within 10 kilometres of cities with a population exceeding one million. Plants in critically polluted areas or non-attainment cities will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis while all other plants -- accounting for nearly 79 per cent of India's thermal power capacity -- are exempt from mandatory FGD installation. The notification stated that the decision was made following a detailed analysis by the Central Pollution Control Board, which found increased carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the operation of existing control ...

Govt urges coal producers to improve quality amid ongoing complaints

The power ministry, which set up a panel to address the issue, proposed measures such as testing coal quality upon arrival to customers

Coal miners spent ₹3K cr on progressive mine closure in 3 years: Official

About Rs 3,000 crore was spent during the last three years by coal mine operators on progressive mine closure in the country due to the efficient work by the Coal Controller, said a senior official on Friday. Addressing the Indian National Committee of the World Mining Congress (INC WMC) here, V L Kantha Rao, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, also said that when it comes to the non-coal sector, the Controller General of the Indian Bureau of Mines is ensuring that all 1,200 mines are undertaking progressive mine closure. "They (Coal Controller) have ensured that in the existing, there are about 500 coal mines, and people have spent about Rs 3,000 crore in the last three years on progressive mine closure. That's a big achievement, and all the credit goes to this Coal Controller who has ensured that people spend not only at the end of the coal mine but also every five years," Kantha Rao said. He further said that in the case of non-coal, the state governments have been a bit slow in carryi

Muted coal, cement movement drags rail freight growth to 2% in Q1

In rare instance, coal freight earnings dropped in Q1; experts cite import drop

China, India cut Indonesian coal imports, shift to higher-grade supply

Coal purchases by China and India from Indonesia, world's biggest exporter, are dropping faster than their overall thermal coal imports, as both nations shift toward higher-calorific value (CV) coal

Coal India, Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corp ink pact to develop rail infra

State-owned CIL on Thursday said it has entered into a pact with Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Ltd to develop rail infrastructure of the coal behemoth and its arms. The non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between both companies in Kolkata. "Coal India Ltd (CIL) and Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Limited have executed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 05.06.2025 at Kolkata with an intent of development of Rail Infrastructure of CIL and its subsidiaries," the maharatna firm said in a BSE filing. Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Ltd is a Joint Venture Company between 11 major ports under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, holding 90 per cent of equity capital and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) under the Ministry of Railways, holding 10 per cent of equity capital. The JV was incorporated to provide efficient rail evacuation systems to major ports and to enhance their capacity and throughput. CIL accounts

India produces 2.6% more coal in May at 86 million tonnes, shows data

The growth in both production and dispatch ensures a steady coal supply to key industries such as power, steel, and cement, the Ministry of Coal said in a statement

Coal imports in April-February fall 9.2% on higher domestic output

India's coal imports declined to 220.3 mt in April-February FY25 amid a rise in domestic output, saving $6.93 billion in forex and reducing dependence on imports

Govt waives upfront fee, offers rebates to boost underground coal mining

In a bid to speed up the operationalisation of underground coal blocks, the government on Thursday announced new incentives like waiving off of the upfront payment. The push for underground coal mining aligns with the country's drive for sustainable coal production. "In a decisive step towards revitalising India's coal sector, the Ministry of Coal has introduced a series of transformative policy measures aimed at promoting underground coal mining," an official statement said. These reforms address the challenges of high capital investment and longer gestation period. "The floor percentage of revenue share for underground coal mines has been reduced from four per cent to two per cent. This targeted reduction offers substantial fiscal relief and enhances the financial viability of underground projects," the statement said. The mandatory upfront payment requirement for underground mining ventures has been completely waived. This measure removes a financial barrier, encouraging broade

Govt extends deadline to May 7 for feedback on Coal Trade Exchange rules

The government has extended the deadline to early next month for public comments on the proposed rules on Coal Trade Exchange that will facilitate the dry-fuel's trading as a commodity. "Ministry of Coal had published the proposed draft legislations on Coal Trade Exchange for public consultation... Ministry of Coal has decided to extend the last date for submission of comments/suggestions from April 6, 2025 till May 7, 2025," the coal ministry said on its website. The coal ministry has proposed to empower the Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) as the regulator for the proposed trade exchange. At present the coal sales channels in the country are specific to the government-owned coal companies, including Coal India Ltd. A need is therefore felt to provide a platform i.e. Coal Trading Exchange (CTE), to also allow commercial, captive miners a ready access to market their produce, the ministry said, adding that the public sector coal companies may also use this platform. The exchange .

India lead in new coal proposals in 2024, says Global Energy Monitor

Approximately 60 per cent of the 38.4 GW of India's new proposals are backed by state-owned entities (SOEs) using public funds

India imports increase 11.3% to 265 million tonnes of coal in FY24

The FY24 import included 59 mt of coking coal and 205 mt of non-coking coal worth ₹1.33 trillion, Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Wednesday

Parliamentary panel bats for structured timeline for coal gasification

Coal gasification involves extracting methane from coal during the mining process and utilising it for commercial purposes

Improve freight services, diversify beyond coal, cement: Rlys parl panel

The panel suggests a service model similar to the passenger system

CIL waives financial coverage charge for non-power sector consumers

State-owned Coal India Limited on Sunday said that non-power sector (NPS) consumers will not have to pay the coal value worth ten days of supply as financial coverage for the dry fuel received via rail transport. "With the waiver of financial coverage, CIL takes an important step towards reducing transactional complexities and fostering an environment that encourages smooth and efficient business operations," the PSU said in a statement. The latest decision is one more step in Coal India Ltd's ongoing efforts to streamline operations under the broader ease of doing business initiative, the company said. "This also helps to reduce the financial burden for NPS consumers and improve their cash liquidity," Coal India Ltd (CIL) noted. The liquidity availability will allow consumers to use the capital for other operational needs and reduce the working capital pressure. During the ongoing financial year, CIL supplied about 560 million tonnes (MT) of coal to the power sector and nearly 13

Coal transportation via rail-sea-rail route almost doubles in FY24: Govt

The government on Friday said coal transportation through rail-sea-rail (RSR) route almost doubled to 54 million tonnes (MT) in FY24. Coal is carried from mines through this route in order to meet demand of various power plants. This involves movement of coal by rail in two legs -- from mines to unloading port, and from subsequent loading port to power plants. "Over the last few years Ministry of Coal has made significant strides in use of the coal Rail-Sea-Rail networks for evacuation of coal in coordination with Railways. As a result, the coal movement which was 28 MT in FY22 has almost doubled to 54 MT in FY24 and is on the increasing trend," the coal ministry said in a statement. This multi-modal system allows transportation of coal from mines to port and to their end users, while improving logistical efficiencies. This also reduces congestion on the all-rail route (ARR) and ensures lower carbon-footprint. The coal ministry said that it is committed to enhancing the RSR coal ..

NCL levies Rs 300 per tonne charge on coal, to generate Rs 3,877 crore

Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd, will impose a "Singrauli Punarasthapan (rejuvenation) Charge" of Rs 300 per tonne on coal dispatches across all its mines from May 1, 2025. The additional charge is expected to generate around Rs 3,877.50 crore, NCL said in a regulatory filing. The levy will be applied uniformly on top of the notified price of coal. NCL operates mainly in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli and Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra districts, supplying coal to power and non-power sectors. The company produced 117 million tonnes of coal till January 2025, contributing significantly to Coal India's overall output. The move comes amid efforts by CIL subsidiaries to bolster revenue and support mine rehabilitation and resettlement projects in coal-bearing regions, industry sources said.

NMP 2.0 likely to depend more on roads, railway and coal sectors

Multifold rise likely in ports, urban infra monetisation targets