Parliament Question: Coal Production

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 504 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.07.2025 Coal Production †504. Shri Radheshyam Rathiya:

Shri Parbhubhai Nagarbhai Vasava:

Shri Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa:

Shri Praveen Patel:

Shri Shankar Lalwani:

Shri Mahesh Kashyap:

Shri Ashok Kumar Rawat:

Shri Bibhu Prasad Tarai:

Dr. Rajesh Mishra:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

(a) the total quantum of coal produced by the country particularly in Chhattisgarh during the last three years including the financial year 2024-25 along with the comparison thereof to the previous financial year;

(b) the total quantum of coal imported during the last three years;

(c) the details of the initiatives taken/likely to be taken by the Government to reduce dependence upon coal imports;

(d) whether there has been an increase in production of coal in the Northern Coalfields Limited

(NCL) operating in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh and if so, the details thereof; and

(e) whether there has been an increase in production of coal in the South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) operating in Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a): The year-wise coal production in the country and in the state of Chhattisgarh during the

last three years is given below: [Figures in Million Tonnes] Year All India Production Production in the State of Chhattisgarh 2022-23 893.191 184.895 2023-24 997.826 207.255 2024-25

1047.50 204.960

(Provisional)

(b): The total quantity of coal imported during the last three years is as under: [Figures in Million Tonnes] Year Total 2022-23 237.668 2023-24 264.531 2024-25

243.622

(Provisional)(c): The initiatives taken by the Government to reduce coal import dependency are as

under: i. The Annual Contracted Quantity (ACQ) has been increased upto 100% of the normative requirement, in the cases where the ACQ was either reduced to 90% of normative requirement (non-coastal power plants) or where the ACQ was reduced to 70% of normative requirement (coastal power plants). Increase in the ACQ would result in more domestic coal supplies, thereby, reducing the import dependency.

ii. Vide amendment to the Non-Regulated Sector (NRS) linkage auction policy introduced in 2020, the tenure of coking coal linkages in the NRS linkage auction has been revised for a period upto 30 years. Increase in tenure of coking coal linkages in the NRS linkage auction for a period upto 30 years is expected to have a positive impact towards coal imports substitution.

iii. Government has decided in 2022 that coal to meet the full Power Purchase Agreement

(PPA) requirement of all the existing linkage holders of Power Sector shall be made available by the coal companies irrespective of the trigger level and ACQ levels. This decision of the Government of meeting the full PPA requirement of the linkage holders of the Power Sector is expected to reduce dependence on imports.

iv. An Inter - Ministerial Committee (IMC) was constituted in the Ministry of Coal on

29.05.2020 for the purpose of coal import substitution. On directions of IMC, an Import Data System has been developed by Ministry of Coal to enable the Ministry to track import of coal. As per Foreign Trade Policy governing import of goods, coal is freely importable without any restrictions. However, with effect from December, 2020, the same has been revised from “Free” to “Free subject to compulsory registration in Coal Import Monitoring System (CIMS) Portal”.

v. Efforts are being made on a continuous basis to ensure more domestic supplies of coal.

Thus, the entire substitutable imported coal is expected to be met by the country and no import other than the very essential should happen. A Strategy Paper on Coal Import Substitution has been released.

vi. A new sub-sector ‘Steel using Coking coal through WDO route’ has been created in March, 2024 under the NRS linkage auctions which will lead to increase in the domestic coking coal consumption and also increase availability of washed coking coal in the country, thereby, reducing coking coal imports.

vii. Coking Coal Mission has been launched to enhance coking coal supply to the Steel Sector to reduce imports of coking coal. Initiatives have been taken to enhance coking coal production. viii. Imported Coal Based (ICB) Plants have been allowed to secure coal under the Revised SHAKTI Policy, 2025. The coal availability for ICB Plants under this Policy is expected to reduce dependence of these ICB plants on imported coal.

ix. Existing Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA) holders have been allowed to secure coal under the Revised SHAKTI Policy, 2025 after procuring 100% of the ACQ coal under existing FSA. Coal availability beyond the ACQ to existing FSA holders will benefit the power producers to meet the full requirement of the power plants.

(d) & (e): The year-wise coal production in Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) and South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) (including Gare Palma-IV/2&3) during the last three years

is given below: [Figures in Million Tonnes] Year NCL SECL (including Gare Palma-IV/2&3) 2022-23 131.169 167.006 2023-24 136.148 187.536 2024-25 (Provisional) 139.00 167.487 *****