Coal Ministry plans to boost coal production to 1,404 million tonnes by 2027

The ministry said that in order to guarantee a steady supply of coal, it is closely collaborating with the ministries of power and railways.

The Union coal ministry plans to increase coal production to 1,404 million tonnes of coal by 2027 and 1,577 million tonnes by 2030, at the current level of production of about one billion (1,000 million) tonne per annum.

The coal supplied to domestic coal-based power plant is around 821 MT for the current year, the ministry said in a press release.

The ministry stated that it is aware of the need to add 80 GW of thermal capacity to the nation's coal supply by 2030.

The amount of coal needed for extra thermal capacity would be about 400 MT at 85% PLF; however, the actual amount needed might be less, depending on future generation needs and the contribution of renewable energy sources.

The Ministry of Coal intends to generate more coal as part of its production enhancement plan, and it will make sure that thermal power plants have enough domestic coal available.

The production plan calls for the opening of new mines, the increase of mine capacity, and the output of commercial and captive mines. Each of these three operational components is making a contribution and has specific goals for improvement going forward. Production plans for 2027 and 2030 will likely be significantly more than the nation's need for thermal power plants, even after accounting for projected capacity increases, the ministry said.

The ministry said that in order to guarantee a steady supply of coal, it is closely collaborating with the ministries of power and railways.

"The growth in power generation for domestic coal based plant is 8.99 percent while the growth in coal production is 13.02 percent on yearly basis (till date). It is further to be noted that during last three months, demand for thermal power has grown over 20 percent of last year.", it added.