&w=3840&q=100)
Coal India's coking coal output falls 9% to 4.53 million tonne in May
Coal India Ltd's (CIL) coking coal production was 4.96 MT in May 2024.
The government under its 'Mission Coking Coal' aims to increase domestic coking coal production to 140 million tonne (MT) by 2029-30, thereby reducing dependency on its imports for the steel sector.
Coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal, is essential for steel production.
The company's coking coal production also dropped by 3.4 per cent to 9.36 MT in the April-May period over 9.69 MT in the year-ago period, as per the government's provisional data.
CIL subsidiaries including Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) and Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) produce coking coal. BCCL is specifically known for its focus on coking coal production.
CIL accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal production.
The government has taken steps to enhance utilisation of indigenous coking coal, improving energy efficiency and decarbonisation of domestic steel sector. Coal companies and steel industries are focusing on increasing domestic coal washing capacity to reduce ash content of coal and make it fit for use in the steel industry.
Stamp charged coke oven batteries are also being used in steel plants to increase usage of domestic coking coal.
Coking Coal is being imported by the steel sector mainly to bridge the gap between the requirement and indigenous availability and to improve the quality.
In the last fiscal, the coking coal import was 57.58 MT, as per the provisional data.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Time of India
EVs Roll In, Copper, Critical Minerals On WCL's Wishlist
1 2 Nagpur: Mining PSU Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) is eyeing critical minerals from the earth dug out for extracting coal. It also plans to take up fresh blocks of critical minerals like lithium in the country. The diversification moves include copper mining too. A deep-seated mineral, it may not be difficult for a coal mining company to start exploiting copper also, said a senior official. Based in Nagpur, WCL is one of the subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL). With govt's thrust on critical minerals like lithium due to the recent push for e-vehicle use, even WCL and other CIL arms are planning diversification. Critical minerals have a key use in strategic sectors, including defence. However, these are not mined in major quantities, leading to dependence on China and other countries. Recently, the coal and mines minister, G Krishna Reddy, informed the Parliament about the discovery of rare earth elements at Singrauli Coalfields in Madhya Pradesh. "WCL is looking for the minerals in the overburden (the earth dug out for mining coal) too. So far, overburden was taken as waste . However, now WCL is also looking for traces of critical minerals in it," said a source. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo The samples are being sent for testing. The plan is to bid for fresh blocks also. Rather, the entire CIL has drawn up plans to mine critical minerals, and the subsidiaries would take up the blocks in their respective areas. On Wednesday, WCL became the first company in the CIL to deploy electric heavy vehicles. The initial batch of 15 tippers of 40-tonne capacity was deployed near Kanhan . The vehicles were flagged off at an event chaired by WCL's chairman cum managing director JP Dwivedi. The tippers will be transporting coal from mines to the railway siding over 15 km away. Another 20 vehicles would be deployed soon. WCL has started including a clause in the tenders that at least 20% of the fleet of vehicles must run on alternative fuels. Already, LNG run heavy vehicles are operating in the mine areas. The idea is to include the clause in other classes of vehicles depending on availability. The mining company has drawn plans to generate over 330 MW of solar power. The first unit of 15 MW is expected to start in the near term as work has begun for a capacity of around 80 MW, said a senior official.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Coal India Ltd likely to produce 1 billion tonnes of coal in 2026-27: Minister
New Delhi: India's total coal production has already crossed the 1 billion tonnes (BT) mark in the financial year 2024-25, and the coal output of the country's largest company, Coal India Limited (CIL), is targeted to cross the 1 billion tonnes mark by 2026-27, the Parliament was informed on Monday. Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy told the Rajya Sabha, in a written reply, that Coal India Ltd produced 781.07 million tonnes in 2024-25 and the target for 2026-27 has been fixed at 1004.00 billion tonnes. He further stated that most of the requirement of coal in the country is met through indigenous coal production. Import of coal mainly consists of essential imports like coking coal and higher grade non-coking coal, as their domestic production is limited due to either scarce reserves or non-availability. In order to meet future demand for coal through indigenous sources and to reduce non-essential imports of coal, domestic coal production is expected to grow by 6-7 per cent annually in the next few years to reach about 1.5 billion tonnes by 2029-30. The all-India domestic coal production in the year 2024-2025 was 1047.67 million tonnes (MT) in comparison to 997.83 MT in the year 2023-2024, with the growth of about 4.99 per cent. The minister said that the government has initiated several steps to ramp up domestic coal production and to eliminate non-essential imports of coal in the country. Some of the major initiatives undertaken include Single Window Clearance, amendment of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 to allow captive mines to sell up to 50 per cent of their annual production after meeting the requirement of the end-use plants, production through MDO mode, increasing use of mass production technologies, new projects and expansion of existing projects, and auction of coal blocks to private companies and PSUs for commercial mining. As part of the economic reforms, 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment has also been allowed for commercial mining to increase production.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Rare earth elements found in Singrauli coalfields; extraction viability under study
Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Monday informed Parliament that promising reserves of rare earth elements (REE) have been discovered in the Singrauli coalfields of Madhya Pradesh, following detailed research and appraisal by Coal India Ltd (CIL). REEs — including elements like scandium and yttrium — are essential components in clean energy systems, electronics, electric vehicles and other critical industrial technologies. "Results from appraisal of Gondwana sediments (coal, clay, shale, sandstone) for trace elements and REE concentration in the Singrauli coalfield indicate that REE are 'promising' in nature, with an enrichment of 250 ppm on a whole coal basis in coal samples and 400 ppm in non-coal samples," Reddy stated in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, as quoted PTI. However, he added that commercial extraction would depend on technological advances and economies of scale. Assessment from the North Eastern Region coalfields showed that while total REE presence is low, the content of heavy REEs is relatively higher. Reddy also said that indigenous technology development is underway to extract critical minerals — including REEs — from the overburden strata of these coalfields. The project aims to develop enrichment techniques using physical separations and ion-exchange resin-based extraction from non-coal strata and acid mine drainage. To support this initiative, the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT), Bhubaneswar; the Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre (NFTDC), Hyderabad; and IIT Hyderabad, Reddy said.
