Coal production re-accelerates amid easing monsoon; daily output rises to 1.7 MT

Coal production at mines operated by state-owned Coal India Ltd is gaining momentum as intense monsoon rains ease across coal-bearing regions, the Union Coal Ministry said on Saturday.

Average daily production rose to around 1.7 million tonnes (MT) on September 4, against approximately 1.36 MT a day during the first three rain-affected days of the month, according to the ministry.

The improvement comes as declining rainfall allows mining operations and coal handling to normalise.

“Coal beds that had turned sticky and wet following prolonged exposure to rain are now drying, making freshly mined coal more free-flowing and easier to transfer, handle and dispatch through Coal Handling Plants (CHPs),” it said.

The ministry further stated that overburden removal—a key indicator of exposure in a coal bed, involving the removal of layers of soil, rock and other material to access the coal—also increased to 4.1 million cubic metres on September 4, compared with 2.5 million cubic metres recorded during the first three days of the month.

Kolkata-headquartered miner and its subsidiaries have also offered power plants with existing supply agreements the option to lift additional coal beyond their annual contracted quantities through road transport, alongside existing rail-based supplies, the ministry said.

“With dry spells setting in, loading is expected to pick up further over the coming days. Close monitoring is being maintained to sustain this trend,” the ministry said.

Coal availability for the power sector has also strengthened. Average daily dispatch to power plants increased to 1.5 MT on September 4, from around 1.35 MT a day during the first three days of September, the ministry said.

The government also highlighted Coal India’s sizeable inventory position as a cushion against supply disruptions. The miner currently has around 76 MT of coal stocked at its pitheads, including 46 MT of coal ready for extraction, it said.