Coal India To Invest Rs 1,900 Crore In R&D By FY30 To Boost Clean Energy, Mining Innovation

State-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) plans to invest around Rs 1,900 crore in research and development (R&D) activities by FY30 it said in an exchange filing on Tuesday, as it ramps up efforts to modernise mining operations, improve sustainability and develop new technologies in response to the evolving energy landscape.

The company said its R&D transformation gained momentum in fiscal year 2025 with the establishment of the National Centre for Coal and Energy Research (NaCCER), a hub-and-spoke modelled research centre that will drive innovation across its businesses. With NaCCER in place, Coal India has shifted its focus from proof-of-concept studies to prototype development corresponding to Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-4 and above.

"We intend to shift R&D to a higher orbit to drive the company's future growth and technological transformation," a senior CIL official said.

Coal India's R&D expenditure increased four-fold to Rs 245 crore in fiscal year 2025 from Rs 61 crore in fiscal year 2024, highlighting the company's renewed focus on technology-led growth. The Department of Public Enterprises requires central public sector enterprises to spend, on average, 1% of the preceding three years' profit before tax on research and development. To institutionalise innovation, Coal India has also introduced a comprehensive R&D policy.

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As part of its industry-academia collaboration strategy, the miner has established three Centres of Excellence (CoEs) at premier IITs. These include the Centre of Clean Coal Energy and Net Zero (CLEANZ) at IIT Hyderabad, the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) at IIT Madras and Innovation in Mining (IMiN) at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. These centres function as research spokes under NaCCER and focus on pilot-scale research, prototype development and technology validation. Coal India has committed Rs 253 crore to these centres, with the funding to be released in phases.

The company is currently executing 19 R&D projects with a total outlay of Rs 225 crore under the direct supervision of NaCCER. In addition, 13 research projects involving pilot-scale studies and prototype development are underway at the Centres of Excellence.

The research portfolio spans several strategic areas aimed at improving operational efficiency while supporting cleaner energy technologies. CLEANZ is working on enhanced coal bed methane recovery, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), mineral beneficiation, recovery of rare earth elements and critical minerals, high-ash coal gasification and syngas utilisation.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Sustainable Energy is focusing on sustainable materials, circular economy initiatives, mine repurposing, environmental remediation, advanced wastewater treatment technologies and feasibility assessments for micro modular nuclear reactors. The Innovation in Mining centre at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad is dedicated to developing solutions for mining challenges while supporting capacity building through research fellowships.

Coal India has also expanded its international technology partnerships. It is collaborating with Ergo Exergy, Canada, on an underground coal gasification project at Eastern Coalfields, Ericsson, Sweden, to implement 5G technologies at the Jhanjra underground mine, and Australia's CSIRO on collaborative research initiatives.

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