India’s Coal Production Soars 5.33% In December

The country’s total coal production increased by 5.33% to 97.94 million tonnes in December, according to an official statement released on Wednesday. This compares to 92.98 million tonnes during the same period last year.

The Ministry of Coal noted that overall coal production up to December 2024 has risen significantly to 726.29 million tonnes from 684.45 million tonnes in the same period of the financial year 2023-24.

Captive and other mines produced 18.95 million tonnes, indicating a 29.61% rise from 14.62 million tonnes produced in the corresponding period of the last year.

In addition, coal dispatches reached 92.59 million tonnes during December 2024, marking a 6.36% year-on-year growth. Dispatches from captive and other mines also increased 31.83% to 18.13 million tonnes. The cumulative coal dispatch up to December in fiscal 2024 stood at 750.5 million tonnes; in comparison, in the financial year 2024, it was at 711.07 million tonnes.

"The consistent growth in coal production and dispatch underscores the Ministry's unwavering commitment to achieving self-reliance in coal and fulfilling the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat," the statement added.

Coal India Ltd. accounts for over 80% of domestic coal output, and in line with the increase in production of coal, the company's production in the April-December period rose to 543.3 million tonnes, against 531.9 million tonnes in the same period last year. In December, coal production by the maharatna firm was at 72.4 million tonnes, as against 71.9 million tonnes of coal produced in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal year.

However, Coal India's subsidiaries Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. and South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. registered a decline in coal production in the April-December period of the current financial year. While coal production of BCCL dropped by 2.6%, in the case of SECL, the fossil fuel output declined by 9.4%.

Its other subsidiaries, like Northern Coalfields Ltd., Eastern Coalfield Ltd., Central Coalfields Ltd., and Western Coalfields Ltd., registered a growth in coal production in the April-December period of the ongoing fiscal year.