Page 3 - Coal Ministry

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

Coal dispatch grows 6% to over 324 MT during Apr-Aug: Coal ministry

Coal dispatch to the power sector increased 6 per cent to 324.5 million during the April-August period of the current fiscal, an official statement said on Tuesday. Coal dispatch to the power sector was at 306.70 MT during the year-ago period, the Ministry of Coal said. "Coal dispatch to the power sector from April to August amounted to 324.5 MT, a growth of 5.8 per cent compared to 306.7 MT in corresponding period of the previous year," it said. As on August 31, the overall coal stock position at mines, thermal power plants and transit was 86 MT compared to 68.76 MT a year ago, an increase of over 25 per cent. "This higher coal stock position indicates commitment of maintaining ample supply, and highlights effective stock management strategies and operational efficiency," the ministry said. The ministry further said there has been a 53.13 per cent decline in the import of thermal coal for blending to 9 MT in the April-August period from 19.2 MT a year ago. This underscores the .

Coal ministry transfers Rs 704 cr upfront payment to 6 coal-bearing states

The Centre has transferred Rs 704 crore upfront payment that it received from the sixth round of coal mine auctions to six states, an official statement said on Thursday. The amount has been transferred to coal-bearing states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and West Bengal, the Ministry of Coal statement said. "The Ministry of Coal has transferred Rs 704 crore upfront amount received from auction of coal mines to these six coal-bearing states. This financial transfer marks a substantial initiative to empower and support developmental growth of these states," it said. The allotted amount of Rs 704 crore represents the first installment of upfront amount for 18 coal mines that were successfully auctioned in the sixth round of auctions and second attempt of the fifth round of commercial coal mine auctions.

Coal ministry developing logistics policy, national coal evacuation plan

The coal ministry is developing a logistics policy for the sector and a national coal evacuation plan with a view to reducing logistics costs, an official statement said on Saturday. An inter-ministerial meeting on logistics was held to review the progress of implementation of the national logistics policy, the statement said adding that it was convened by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). During the meeting measures taken by different ministries to improve logistics efficiency in the country were also showcased, the commerce and industry ministry said. "A draft coal logistic policy and national coal evacuation plan has been developed by the ministry of coal. In addition, standardization of physical assets (heavy earth moving machines for coal handling) and setting up benchmarks for quality management, is under progress," the statement said. Speaking at the meeting DPIIT Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh talked about the critical role played by ports i

India's coal production grows 8.55% to 223 MT in Apr-Jun: Coal Ministry

India's coal production increased by 8.55 per cent to 223.36 million tonnes in the April-June quarter of 2023-24 compared to the year-ago period, an official statement said on Friday. Coal production was 205.76 million tonnes (MT) in the same period during FY 2022-23, the Ministry of Coal said. Coal India Limited (CIL) registered 175.48 MT production between April and June 2023, marking a commendable growth rate of 9.85 per cent in comparison to 159.75 MT during the corresponding period of the previous year. The rest came in from other captive mines. While coal imports increased by 16.76 per cent in April-May 2023 as compared to the same period in the previous year, it is important to note that this rise is primarily attributable to the substantial decline in coal import prices, the ministry said. Import prices for coal have plummeted by over 60 per cent in the first quarter of FY24, compared to the year-ago period. "There is enough stock of coal available in the country which is

Coal Ministry extends last date for registration under Star Rating policy

The last date for registration of coal and lignite mines under Star Rating programme has been extended until July 25, an official statement said. The government's Star Rating policy aims to evaluate mines based on various factors across seven key parameters namely, mining operations, environment-related parameters, adoption of technologies, best mining practices, economic performance, rehabilitation & resettlement, worker-related compliance and safety & security. "Extended the last date for registration and self-evaluation for Star Rating of coal and lignite mines from 15th July to 25th July 2023, In an effort to facilitate greater participation and ensure accurate self-evaluation," the Ministry of Coal said in a statement. On May 30, 2023, a notification was issued for the registration of all coal and lignite mines for the Star Rating of the financial year 2022-23. Following this, the Star Rating portal became accessible for registration from June 1, 2023 and the response has

Overall coal stock position in India grows 34% to 103 MT: Coal ministry

The overall coal stock position in the country rose 34 per cent to 103 million tonnes (MT) on July 16, an official statement said on Tuesday. As on July 16, 2023, thermal power plant coal stock stands at 33.46 MT, which is 28 per cent higher compared to the corresponding period of last financial year, the coal ministry said in a statement. "Coal availability at all locations including pithead coal stock at mine end, stock in transit and TPPs is 103 MT as against 76.85 MT last year, which is 34 per cent higher year-on-year. The ministry is also closely coordinating with all central gencos (generation companies) and state gencos and there is absolutely no shortage of coal for the power sector," it said. The ministry further said that coal companies have undertaken construction of cemented roads for uninterrupted evacuation from larger mines. Transportation from nine coal mines to railway sidings has been started through mechanised coal handling plants. Coal production from April 1 to

Coal stock with thermal power plants up by 28%, touches 33.46 mn tonne

The Ministries of Coal, Railways, and Power are working closely together to ensure the continued availability of coal for all thermal power plant