India: Coal India sees softening in production, dispatch volumes for May’25

• Production inches down by 1% y-o-y
• Dispatches see sharper 8% fall y-o-y

Coal India Limited (CIL), one of India’s premier Maharatna public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Coal, has released its provisional coal production and offtake figures for May 2025, along with consolidated data for the period April-May 2025. Production and dispatch volumes declined y-o-y in both periods.

Production performance overview

In May 2025, CIL registered a total coal production of 63.5 million tonnes (mnt), reflecting a marginal decline of 1.4% compared to 64.4 mnt in May 2024. Meanwhile, cumulative production for April-May 2025 stood at 125.6 mnt, down approximately 1% from 126.2 mnt during the same period last year.

Among the subsidiaries, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) contributed the highest output in May 2025, with 17.9 mnt, followed by South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) at 13.8 mnt, and Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) at 12.4 mnt.

Offtake performance summary

CIL’s coal offtake in May 2025 was at 64.0 mnt, a notable decline of 7.8% compared to 69.4 mnt in May 2024. MCL led the coal dispatch figures with 17.7 mnt, followed by SECL at 15.5 mnt, and NCL at 11.2 mnt.

For the cumulative period of April-May 2025, the total offtake stood at 128.5 mnt, a 3.9% decrease from 133.7 mnt recorded in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Conclusion

The provisional figures for May 2025 and the April-May 2025 period indicate a subdued start to FY’26 for Coal India Limited, with multiple subsidiaries experiencing declines in both production and offtake.

With an annual production target of 875 mnt set for FY’26, the current trend underscores the need for accelerated performance in the coming quarters. Nevertheless, robust outputs from key subsidiaries such as MCL and SECL provide encouraging signs and lay a promising foundation for recovery as the fiscal year progresses.