Lok Sabha Question No. 470 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-23
Subject: Sustainable Coal Production
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Smt. Geniben Nagaji Thakor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 470 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.07.2025

## Sustainable Coal Production

## 470. Smt. Geniben Nagaji Thakor:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) the total coal production in the country during each of the last three years;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to ensure sustainable and environment-friendly coal mining practices;
- (c) whether the Government has any plan to increase coal production while reducing carbon emissions; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

- (a): The details of the coal production during the last three years are as under:

## [Figures in Million Tonnes]

| Year    | Production of Coal    |
|---------|-----------------------|
| 2022-23 | 893.191               |
| 2023-24 | 997.826               |
| 2024-25 | 1047.50 (provisional) |

(b): To promote environmental sustainability in coal mines in the country, various sustainable & environment friendly initiatives have been taken such as plantation/ bio-reclamation, mine water  utilization  for  community  use,  development  of  eco-parks  and  adoption  of  energy efficiency measures.

Further, as per the provision of the Coal Mine/ Block Development and Production Agreement (CMDPA/CBDPA) executed with coal blocks allocattees, the successful bidders are required to use mechanized methods by adopting modern technologies for coal extraction, transport and evacuation  in  order  to  minimize  carbon  emissions,  reduce  environmental  pollution,  and promote  sustainability  following  Good  Industry  Practice.  The  successful  bidders  are  also encouraged to make necessary arrangements for mechanized loading and establishing First Mile  Connectivity  for  transportation  of  coal  from  the  pithead  to  reduce  environmental pollution.

(c) & (d): Ministry of Coal has set an ambitious domestic coal production target of about 1.5 BT (billion tonnes) by 2030.

The following activities have been undertaken by the coal companies to reduce carbon emissions from coal mines:

- i. Creation of carbon sink through plantations.
- ii. Restoration of degraded land.
- iii. Adoption of clean coal technologies including extraction of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) and Coal Gasification.
- iv. Minimizing road transportation and enhancing mechanized coal loading and transportation including First Mile Connectivity projects.
- v. Implementing Energy Efficiency measures.
- vi. Undertaking  Renewable  energy  projects  including  solar,  wind,  pumped  storage projects, geo-thermal, etc.

The following steps have been taken by the Government to increase coal production in the country:

- i. Regular reviews by Ministry of Coal to expedite the development of coal blocks.
- ii. Enactment of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2021 [MMDR Act] for enabling captive mine owners (other than atomic minerals) to sell up to 50% of their annual mineral (including coal) production in the open market after meeting the requirement of the end use plant linked with the mine.
- iii. Single Window Clearance portal for the coal sector to speed up the operationalization of coal mines.
- iv. Project Management Unit (PMU) for hand-holding of coal block allottees for obtaining various approvals/ clearances for early operationalization of coal mines.
- v. Auction of commercial mines on revenue sharing basis was launched in 2020. Under this scheme, rebate of 50 % on final offer has been allowed for the quantity of coal produced  earlier  than  scheduled  date  of  production.  Further,  incentives  on  coal gasification or liquefaction (rebate of 50% on final offer) have been granted.
- vi. Terms and conditions of commercial coal mining are very liberal with no restriction on utilization  of  coal,  allowing  new  companies  to  participate  in  the  bidding  process, reduced  upfront  amount,  adjustment  of  upfront  amount  against  monthly  payment, liberal efficiency parameters to encourage flexibility to operationalize the coal mines, transparent bidding process, 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through automatic route and revenue sharing model based on the National Coal Index.

In addition to the above, coal companies have also taken the following steps to increase domestic coal production:

- i. In its Underground (UG) mines, Coal India Limited (CIL) is adopting new and modern technologies  like  Mass  Production  Technologies  (MPT)  with  the  deployment  of Continuous Miners (CMs), Longwall (LW) and Highwall (HW) wherever feasible.
- ii. In its Opencast (OC) mines, CIL already has State-of-the-Art technology in its highcapacity Excavators and Dumpers, standardization of Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM), deployment of Surface Miners. Digital transformation has been implemented on pilot scale in 7 of its mega mines.
- iii. Regular liaison is being undertaken by Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) for grounding of new projects and operation of existing projects. SCCL has initiated action  for  developing  infrastructure  for  evacuation  of  coal  like  Coal  Handling Plants (CHPs), Crushers, Mobile Crushers, Pre-weigh-bins etc.

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