India reached a historic milestone in coal production during the financial year 2023-24, producing 997.826 million tonnes (MT), marking an 11.71% increase from 893.191 MT in the previous year, according to the Coal Ministry’s year-end review.
Between January 1 and December 15, 2024, coal supply rose to 963.11 MT, reflecting a 6.47% growth compared to 904.61 MT during the same period in 2023. Of this, the power sector received 792.958 MT, up by 5.02% from 755.029 MT in the previous year. The non-regulated sector also saw significant growth, with supply climbing to 171.236 MT—a 14.48% jump from 149.573 MT last year.
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To reduce dependency on imports, the Ministry of Coal launched the ambitious Mission Coking Coal. This initiative aims to ramp up domestic coking coal production to 140 MT by FY 2029-30, driven by rising demand in the steel industry.
In FY 2023-24, India produced 66.821 MT of domestic raw coking coal, and the target for FY 2024-25 is set at 77 MT. By FY 2029-30, the government expects subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL) to contribute 105 MT of raw coking coal, a steep rise from 60.43 MT produced in FY 2023-24.
The modernization of ageing coal washeries under Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) and Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) is underway to ensure optimal utilization and improve coal quality. Reforms in the auction process aim to encourage domestic coking coal usage in steel production and reduce imports.
Additionally, the ministry has auctioned 14 coking coal blocks to private players, with production expected to begin by 2028-29. These steps underscore India’s commitment to achieving self-reliance in coking coal while supporting its burgeoning steel industry.