India's Coal production up by 35 per cent in first quarter of the current fiscal

New Delhi: The Ministry of Coal has reported a substantial increase in coal production and dispatch during the first quarter of the financial year 2024-25, compared to the corresponding period last year.

According to the official figures released by the ministry on July 3, coal production surged by 35 per cent year-on-year, rising from 29.26 million tonnes (MT) in the first quarter of financial year (FY) 2024 to 39.53 MT in the first quarter of Q1 FY25. Similarly, coal dispatch witnessed a robust growth of 34.25 per cent, escalating from 34.07 MT to 45.68 MT over the same period.

The power sector emerged as a key contributor to this growth, with coal production for power generation increasing significantly by 20.5 per cent, from 25.02 MT to 30.16 MT. Production from the non-regulated sector (NRS) also saw a substantial rise, jumping by 77 per cent from 1.44 MT to 2.55 MT.

According to the release, the production from coal mines dedicated to sale registered a significant 143 per cent increase, climbing from 2.80 MT to 6.81 MT.
In terms of dispatch, coal supply to the power sector grew by 23.3 per cent, reaching 35.65 MT from 28.90 MT in Q1 FY24. Dispatch to the Non-Regulated Sector saw a robust 43.4 per cent increase, from 1.66 MT to 2.38 MT, while dispatch for the sale of coal more than doubled, rising by 117.67 per cent from 3.51 MT to 7.64 MT.

As per the latest data on India's coal production in the month of June, India's coal production witnessed a surge reaching 84.63 million tonnes (MT), marking a growth of 14.49 per cent compared to the same period last year when the production stood at 73.92 MT.

Recognising the significant role played by the state-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) the ministry said that the company achieved a coal production of 63.10 MT in June 2024, reflecting an 8.87 per cent increase from the previous year's figure of 57.96 MT.

The production from captive and other coal producers witnessed an even more substantial increase. In June 2024, these entities collectively produced 16.03 MT of coal, which is a 55.49 per cent jump from the 10.31 MT recorded in June of the previous year, the ministry had said.

The Ministry noted that the sharp rise in production is an indication of the growing role of private and captive miners in supplementing the coal supply in the country.

These gains in coal production and stockpiling are in alignment with the Indian government's vision of "Atma Nirbhar Bharat" (Self-Reliant India), the Ministry said.