Lok Sabha Question No. 2760 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Coal Demand and Import
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri Virendra Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2760 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2024

## Coal Demand and Import

## 2760. SHRI VIRENDRA SINGH:

Will the Minister of Coal be pleased to state:

- (a) whether coal production in the country is in proportionate to its demand and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the amount of coal being imported to meet the shortage;
- (c) the details of the list of companies engaged in the import of coal; and
- (d) whether there is shortage of coal reserves in the country or the Government is unable  to  mine  coal  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  per  tonne  coal production cost?

## ANSWER

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

- (a): There is no coal shortage in the country.  Most of the requirement of coal in the country is met through indigenous coal production . Focus of the Government is on increasing  the  domestic  production  of  coal  and  to  eliminate  non-essential  coal import. The all-India domestic coal production in the year 2023-2024 was 997.83 Million Tonne (MT) in comparison to 893.19 MT in the year 2022-2023 with a growth of about 11.71%.

In FY 2023-24, coal supply was 973.00 MT in comparison to 877.37 MT in FY 202223, shows a growth of 10.9%. During the same year, coal supply to Power sector was 859.34 MT in comparison to 785.40 MT in FY 2022-23, indicates a growth of 9.4%. The coal stock available at the power plants as on 30.11.2024 is about 36.58 MT, which is sufficient for about 13.43 days.

- (b): The details of coal imported in the country during the last five years are given below: -

|         |             | (Qty. in Million Tonnes   | (Qty. in Million Tonnes   |
|---------|-------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
| Year    | Coking Coal | Non- Coking Coal          | Total Coal                |
|         | Qty.        | Qty.                      | Qty.                      |
| 2019-20 | 51.83       | 196.70                    | 248.54                    |
| 2020-21 | 51.20       | 164.05                    | 215.25                    |
| 2021-22 | 57.12       | 151.50                    | 208.63                    |
| 2022-23 | 56.05       | 181.62                    | 237.67                    |
| 2023-24 | 58.81       | 205.72                    | 264.53                    |

(c): As per the existing import policy, coal is kept under the Open General License (OGL) and consumers are free to import coal from the source of their choice as per their contractual agreement on payment of applicable duty. Most of the requirement of coal in the country is met through indigenous production.  However, the details of top ten importers of coal are given below in the table.

|   Sl. No. | LIST OF IMPORTERS                        |
|-----------|------------------------------------------|
|         1 | JSW STEEL LIMITED                        |
|         2 | STEEL AUTHORITY OF INDIA LTD             |
|         3 | TATA STEEL LIMITED                       |
|         4 | ADANI ENTERPRISES LIMITED                |
|         5 | JINDAL STEEL & POWER LIMITED             |
|         6 | ARCELORMITTAL NIPPON STEEL INDIA LIMITED |
|         7 | RASHTRIYA ISPAT NIGAM LTD                |
|         8 | BHUSHAN POWER & STEEL LIMITED            |
|         9 | NATIONAL THERMAL POWER CORPORATION       |
|        10 | ULTRATECH CEMENT LIMITED                 |

(d):  As per the coal inventory published by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), coal resources have been steadily augmented year on-year through exploration activities.  As on 01/04/2024, coal resources in the country are 389,421.34 MT as on 01.04.2024 for coal seams of 0.90 m and above in thickness and up to 1200 m depth from surface. Out of this, measured resource is 212,207.16 MT, indicated resource is 148,716.53MT and Inferred resource is 28,497.65 million tonnes.

Further, the total coal extracted from the coalfields of India during 2023-24 is 997.83 MT (66.82 MT Coking coal and 931.01MT non-coking coal) and the cumulative coal production since 1950 upto 2022-23 is 19967.15 MT.

In the fiscal year 2023-24, there was a record-breaking coal production by Coal India Ltd. (CIL) of 773.65 Million Tonnes, marking a 10% increase over the corresponding previous  period,  the  highest  since  inception. During  Apr'24 -Nov'24, CIL  achieved 470.99 Million Tonnes coal production and growth against same period last year was 2.4%.

The Cost per ton as per Financial Statement for FY 2023-24 of CIL (Consolidated) is ₹ 1336.90 per tonne.

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