Coal Production In India: Achieving Self-Sufficiency

India is the third largest coal producer in the world and has been taking various measures to make the country self-dependent when it comes to coal production. The government has implemented several initiatives to increase coal production and reduce imports. In this article, let’s explore these initiatives. 

Increased Coal Production

India’s coal production during April 2020-February 2021 was 791.98 million tons (MT) as compared to about 681.98 MT during April 2021-February 2022 with a growth of about 15.14%. This growth can be attributed to the government’s efforts to improve the coal sector’s production.

Government Initiatives

The government has taken the following steps to make the country self-sufficient in coal production and decrease coal imports:

• Reviews- Regular reviewing by the Ministry of Coal to accelerate coal blocks’ development.
• Enabling- Enactment of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2021 for enabling captive mine owners to sell up to 50% of their annual mineral (including coal) production in the open market.
• Clearance- Launching Single Window Clearance portal for the coal sector to speed up the operationalization of coal mines and Project Monitoring Unit for handholding of coal block allottees to get various clearances/ approvals for coal mines’ early operationalization.
• Auction- Commercial auction of coal blocks on a revenue-sharing basis.
• Incentives- Incentives on coal gasification or liquefaction (a rebate of 50 % on the final offer).

Technology Adoption

To further boost coal production, Coal India Limited is adopting Mass Production Technologies (MPT) in its underground (UG) mines, mainly continuous miners (CMs). It is also planning large-capacity UG mines wherever feasible. In its opencast (OC) mines, Coal India Limited already has state-of-the-art technology in its high-capacity excavators, dumpers and surface miners. Digitization is being tried on a pilot scale in 7 of its mega mines and shall be replicated further.

Insight

The government of India has taken several important measures to make the country self-reliant in coal production and diminishing coal imports. These initiatives have increased coal production and the adoption of advanced technologies. With continued efforts, India is expected to become self-sufficient in coal production soon.

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