India’s coal sector has reported significant growth in both production and dispatch during the first quarter of the financial year 2024-25, according to figures released by the Ministry of Coal on July 3.

Coal production surged by 35 percent year-on-year, rising from 29.26 million tonnes (MT) in Q1 FY24 to 39.53 MT in Q1 FY25. Coal dispatch also saw a robust growth of 34.25 percent, increasing from 34.07 MT to 45.68 MT over the same period.

The power sector emerged as a key contributor to this growth, with coal production for power generation increasing by 20.5 percent, from 25.02 MT to 30.16 MT. Production from the non-regulated sector (NRS) jumped by 77 percent, from 1.44 MT to 2.55 MT. Notably, production from coal mines dedicated to sale registered a substantial 143 percent increase, climbing from 2.80 MT to 6.81 MT.

In terms of dispatch, coal supply to the power sector grew by 23.3 percent, reaching 35.65 MT. Dispatch to the Non-Regulated Sector increased by 43.4 percent, while dispatch for the sale of coal more than doubled, rising by 117.67 percent.

The ministry also highlighted the performance of state-owned Coal India Limited (CIL), which achieved a coal production of 63.10 MT in June 2024, an 8.87 percent increase from the previous year. Production from captive and other coal producers saw an even more substantial increase of 55.49 percent, reaching 16.03 MT in June 2024.

The Ministry said that this sharp rise in production indicates the growing role of private and captive miners in supplementing the country’s coal supply. These gains in coal production and stockpiling align with the Indian government’s vision of “Atma Nirbhar Bharat”.

(Inputs from ANI)