Home Money

India narrowly misses 1 bn tonne target with its record coal output

India narrowly misses 1 bn tonne target with its record coal output
Image Source: Mint

According to a statement released by the coal ministry on Monday, India’s coal production reached a new high of 997.4 million tonnes in fiscal year 2024 (FY24), up 11.67% from the previous year but falling short of the 1-billion-tonne objective. The output was 893.19 million tonnes in FY23.

The government stated that record 1.04 billion tons of coal and lignite were produced overall, surpassing the milestone.

A 10% rise over the previous year was recorded by Coal India Ltd (CIL) in its production of 773.6 million tonnes of the fossil fuel in FY24.

The state-run miner released a statement stating that coal production reached an all-time high of 88.6 million tonnes in March.

According to the statement, CIL’s subsidiaries in FY24—Bharat Coking Coal Ltd., Central Coalfields Ltd., Northern Coalfields Ltd., Western Coalfields Ltd., and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd.—met their yearly goals for the second consecutive year.

With a production of 206.1 million tonnes, Mahanadi Coalfields in Odisha became the first coal-producing region in India to produce more than 200 million tonnes.

The amount of coal supplied to the power industry increased to 618.5 million tonnes in the just ended fiscal year from 586.6 million tonnes in FY23, a 5.4% annual increase. By providing 8.5 million tonnes more coal to power plants than the 610 million tonnes annual aim, the firm surpassed its target.

Pralhad Joshi, the minister of coal, praised the record output figures and emphasized their vital role in enhancing the nation’s energy security.

Furthermore, the amount of coal supplied to the non-power sector rose by 25%, from 108.1 million tonnes in FY23 to 135 million tonnes. The amount of coal stored at mine pitheads at the end of FY24 was over 90 million tonnes, about 30% more than the previous year.

Sneha Sengupta

Entertainment and Lifestyle news writer at MangoBunch.in