Coal demand in India during FY17 will be at 884.87 MnT , according to the latest assessment by the Niti Aayog. Coal production in the country during FY16 was at 639.23 MnT.
Piyush Goyal, the Coal Minister, said recently in a written reply to the Lok Sabha that concerted efforts are being taken by the government to increase domestic coal production.The efforts include: expediting environmental and forest clearances, pursuing with state governments for faster land acquisition, and co-ordination with the railways for uninterrupted coal movement. Coal India Limited also has prepared a blueprint to increase coal production in the country upto 1 BnT, the minister further said. The blueprint includes: capacity addition from new projects, use of mass production technologies and identification of existing ongoing projects with growth potential.
According to Goyal, 83 coal mines—31 through auction and 52 by allotment—have been allocated so far in accordance to the provisions of the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015. Out of the mines, 30 were allocated to the private sector, which participated in the E-auctions, that will utilize the mines for power (regulated sector) and, iron & steel, cement and captive power production(non-regulated sector).
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