Lok Sabha Question No. 937 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Coal Supply and Consumption
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Balubhau (Alias Suresh Narayan) Dhanorkar, S. Venkatesan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 937 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.02.2023

## Coal Supply and Consumption

## 937. SHRI BALUBHAU ALIAS SURESH NARAYAN DHANORKAR: SHRI S. VENKATESAN:

## Will the Minister of Coal be pleased to state:

- (a)  the year-wise details of the supply of coal and its consumption in the country;
- (b) whether the country is currently facing a coal shortage and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether it is a fact that the Ministry has requested the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to allow coal mines with existing environmental clearances to increase their production by up to 40% and to hike production by up to 50% without a fresh environmental impact assessment or public consultation;
- (d)   if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e)  the other steps being taken by the Government to ensure adequate supply of coal?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, COAL AND MINES (SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)

- (a): Details of coal supply and consumption in the country for the last five years and the current year (upto January, 2023) are as under:
- (b): There is no shortage of coal in the country.  The all India coal production in the year 2021-2022 was 778.19 MT in comparison to 716.08 MT in the year 2020-2021. Further, in the current financial year upto January, 2023, the country has produced about 698.24 MT of coal as compared to about 602.49 MT during the same period of last year with a growth of about 16%.

| [Figures in Million Tonnes (MT)]   | [Figures in Million Tonnes (MT)]   | [Figures in Million Tonnes (MT)]   | [Figures in Million Tonnes (MT)]   | [Figures in Million Tonnes (MT)]   | [Figures in Million Tonnes (MT)]   | [Figures in Million Tonnes (MT)]   |
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
| Year                               | 2017-18                            | 2018-19                            | 2019-20                            | 2020-21                            | 2021-22                            | 2022-23                            |
| Total Consumption / Demand (a+b)   | 898.25                             | 968.14                             | 955.72                             | 906.13                             | 1027.92                            | -                                  |
| Total Import (b)                   | 208.25                             | 235.35                             | 248.54                             | 215.25                             | 208.93                             | 168*                               |
| Total Domestic coal Supply (a)     | 690.00                             | 732.79                             | 707.18                             | 690.88                             | 818.99                             | 719.86                             |

* Upto November, 2022

(c) & (d): Ministry of Coal has requested the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to allow coal mines with existing Environmental Clearances to increase their  production  up  to  40%,  to  hike  by  up  to  50%  without  Fresh  Environmental  Impact Assessment or Public Consultation. Considering the above request,  MoEF&CC has issued an OM dated 11.04.2022 on "Guidelines for Granting Environmental Clearance under para 7 (ii) (a) of EIA Notification, 2006, for expansion upto 50% within the existing premises / Mine lease area, without additional land acquisition" and another OM dated 07.05.2022 on "Special dispensation for consideration of Environmental Clearance for 50% expansion in Coal mining projects, within the existing premises/Mine lease area, without additional land acquisition".

(e): Supply of coal to the power plants is a continuous process. To address the issues of coal supplies to Power Sector, an Inter-Ministerial Sub Group comprising of representatives from Ministry  of  Power,  Ministry  of  Coal,  Ministry  of  Railways,  Central  Electricity  Authority (CEA), Coal India Limited (CIL) and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) meet regularly to take various operational decisions to enhance supply of coal to thermal power plants as well as for meeting any contingent situations relating to Power Sector including to alleviate critical coal stock position in power plants.

In addition to this, an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) has been constituted comprising of Chairman, Railway Board; Secretary, Ministry of Coal; Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Secretary, Ministry of Power; to monitor augmentation of coal supply and power generation capacity. Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Chairperson, CEA are co-opted as Special Invitees as and when required by the IMC. Coal dispatch from the captive coal blocks is also being monitored regularly.

Coal India Limited, the largest supplier of coal in the country, has dispatched 572.25 MT of coal in the current fiscal (April - January, 2023) achieving a growth of 5.5 % over last year same period. Similarly, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has dispatched 54.1 MT of coal in the in the current fiscal (April - January, 2023).

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