Kolkata

State-run coal miner Coal India’s production grew 2.2 per cent year-on-year to 543.4 million tonnes during the first nine months of the current financial year from 531.9 million tonnes in the corresponding period of the last financial year.

In a stock exchange filing on Wednesday, CIL said its production rose marginally by 0.7 per cent y-o-y to 72.4 million tonnes (mt) in December, 2024 from 71.9 mt in the year-ago period.

During the month, five coal producing subsidiaries posted positive y-o-y output growth while two producing subsidiaries registered fall in production. Production of Jharkhand-based Bharat Coking Coal (BCCL) and Chhattisgarh-based South Eastern Coalfields (SECL) decreased 2.4 per cent and 13.7 per cent y-o-y, to 3.5 mt and 14.3 mt, respectively, in December last year.

For the April-December period of 2024, BCCL and SECL registered 2.6 per cent and 9.5 per cent year-on-year decline in their productions to 29.1 mt and 111.5 mt, respectively.

Coal production of Eastern Coalfields (ECL), Central Coalfields (CCL), Northern Coalfields (NCL), Western Coalfields (WCL) and Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL) increased 12.7 per cent, 3.5 per cent, 1 per cent, 3.5 per cent and 10.6 per cent y-o-y at 33.8 mt, 57.7 mt, 104.9 mt, 45.1 mt and 161 mt, respectively, during the first nine months of FY25 as against 30 mt, 55.8 mt, 103.9 mt, 43.6 mt and 145.5 mt in the same period of FY24.

CIL witnessed a 1.6 per cent y-o-y rise in coal offtake to 561.2 million tonnes in the April-December period of 2024 from 552.3 million tonnes in the corresponding period of 2023, according to the stock exchange filing. Coal offtake grew 2.45 per cent y-o-y at 68.6 million tonnes in the last month.

Production target

Coal India’s production target for FY25 is 838 mt. However, the company may end the current financial year with a total production of around 823 mt.

“Our target, though it was 838 million tonnes…we have committed to the Coal Ministry of around 822-823 million tonnes, less than 15-16 million tonnes, because of various reasons of land, environmental and other clearances,” Coal India Chairman PM Prasad had said during CIL’s 50th foundation day in November last year.