Overall coal production hits 90.62 million tonnes in November 2024: Coal ministry

NEW DELHI: India's overall coal production reached 90.62 million tonnes (MT) (Provisional) in November this year, compared to 84.52 MT in the same month last year, marking a 7.20 per cent growth, the Ministry of Coal said in a release on Sunday.

The ministry said that the coal production from captive and other entities has shown significant progress, reaching 17.13 MT in November 2024, up from 12.44 MT in November 2023, marking an impressive growth of 37.69 per cent.

Cumulatively, coal production for FY 2024-25 up to November 2024 reached 628.03 MT, compared to 591.32 MT during the same period in FY 2023-24, reflecting a growth of 6.21 per cent.

Additionally, Coal dispatches in November 2024 showed steady improvement, reaching 85.22 MT, up from 82.07 MT in November 2023, reflecting a growth of 3.85 per cent. Dispatches from captive and other entities experienced a sharp increase, rising to 16.58 MT in November 2024 from 13.19 MT in November 2023, marking an impressive growth of 25.73 per cent.

Cumulatively, coal dispatches for FY 2024-25 up to November 2024 rose to 657.75 MT, compared to 623.78 MT during the same period in the previous fiscal year, recording a growth of 5.45 per cent.

These figures are provisional, as the the release.

On November 12, the ministry stated that the Coal imports for blending purposes decreased to 9.79 MT compared to last year which was 10.70 MT indicating a decline of 8.5 per cent during the same period.

This decline underscores India's steadfast commitment to achieving self-sufficiency in coal production and reducing reliance on imports, the ministry said.

India, endowed with the fifth-largest coal reserves in the world, stands as the second-largest consumer of coal, driven by a rapidly growing economy.

However, the current consumption landscape reveals a critical need for imports, particularly for coking coal and high-grade thermal coal, which are not sufficiently available within domestic reserves. This shortfall necessitates imports to support key industries, including steel.