All India raw coal production target for the year 2025-26 is 1157 Million Tonnes (MT) out of which, the target of coal production of Coal India Ltd. (CIL) is 875 MT, for Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd (SCCL) is 72 MT, and that for Captive/ Commercial/ Others is 210 MT. The Ministry of Coal has set an ambitious domestic coal production target of about 1.5 Billion Tonne (BT) by FY 2029-30.

Coal producing Public Sector Undertakings (Coal-PSUs) follow strict environmental norms for coal mining. Before starting any new project or for expansion of a coal mine project, Environment Clearances (EC) are obtained for which Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) are prepared, and these are implemented in all the mines. Land reclamation is done as per approved Mining plan and EMP. Coal-PSUs have adopted a comprehensive set of measures to minimise the environmental impact of coal mining such as (a) strict enforcement of Environment (Protection) Act, Air Act, Water Act, and Mine Closure Guidelines; (b) Promotion of Sustainable and Green Mining Technologies; (c) Stringent Air Quality Compliance and Monitoring; (d) Mine Water Reuse and Conservation Measures; (e) Land Reclamation and Mine Closure Guidelines; (f) large-scale Plantation and Green Belt Development; (g) Monitoring and Compliance through PARIVESH Portal; (h) collaboration with CPCB, SPCBs and Ministry of Environment and Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC); (i) adoption of eco-friendly Technologies; and (j) adoption of pollution control measures.

To enhance coal quality while minimising environmental impact through the implementation of state-of-the-art beneficiation technologies, all newly commissioned and planned washeries are equipped with advanced technological solutions, including Heavy Media Cyclone, Teeter Bed Separator, Spiral Concentrator and Froth Flotation Technology. All new washeries have been designed to achieve zero effluent discharge. Additionally, modernisation and renovation of existing ageing washeries have been taken up to enhance operational efficiency and reducing the environmental footprint of coal washing operations.

As regards coal gasification, the Government approved a comprehensive financial assistance scheme on 24 January 2024, with an outlay of ₹8,500 crore, to support coal and lignite gasification projects. Under this initiative, seven projects have been selected and they are at different stages of implementation and it is expected that they would utilize approximately 11.755 MT per annum of coal once they are commissioned.

In just 5 years of auction policy, Ministry of Coal has auctioned 133 coal mines in 12 rounds of auctions with Peak Rated Capacity of 276.04 MTPA. Once operationalised, these 133 coal mines are expected to generate an annual revenue of Rs. 38,710 Crore with a capital investment of Rs. 41,407 Crore and provide employment to 3,73,199 persons.

Coal India Limited is implementing the revival of certain legacy and non-operational underground mines through the Revenue Sharing Model for abandoned and discontinued coal mines. In Revenue sharing mode, CIL/its subsidiary offers to re-open, salvage, rehabilitate, develop and operate any suitable discontinued mine through a mine developer and operator (MDO) for excavation/ extraction of coal and delivery thereof to CIL/its subsidiary and a percentage of the revenue from the coal mined are shared with CIL/its subsidiary based on highest rate quoted in the bidding.

Under the Revenue Sharing model, a total of 32 discontinued/abandoned mines have been identified so far. Letter of Acceptance (LoA) have been issued for 28 mines having 39.28 Mty capacity. 4 mines are in re-tendering stage. Coal production has started in 2 mines during FY 2025-26, namely, PB Project of BCCL and Gopinathpur Project of ECL.

This information was given by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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Shuhaib T

(रिलीज़ आईडी: 2198220) आगंतुक पटल : 206