In April 2023, India’s coal output increased by 8.85% to 73.14 million tonnes (MT), and the total amount of coal shipped during the month increased by 11.66% to 80.35 MT compared to the same period last year. According to the coal ministry, there were 71.96 MT of coal available in April 2022, while production was 67.20 MT. In comparison to the monthly objective of 77.08 MT, the production of coal in April 2023 was 94.89% higher. A total of 1,012 MT is the anticipated production for FY24.
In April 2023, Coal India and its affiliates produced 57.57 MT of coal, an increase of 7.67% from the previous month’s 53.47 MT. Their despatch increased by 8.57 percent to 62.35 MT from 57.43 MT in April 2022, according to data from the coal ministry. 5.57 MT of coal was extracted by the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL), up 4.77% from 5.32 MT in April of last year. Captive mines produced 10 MT of coal in April, up 18.93% from the 8.41 MT produced in April 2022.
Due to an improvement in rail connectivity between the main coal-producing mines and the power generation businesses, the coal despatch to power utilities increased by 6.66% from 61.33 MT in April of last year to 65.41 MT last month. The production of electricity from coal increased by 5.44% in April 2023 compared to April 2022, while the total amount of electricity produced in April 2023 was 3.98% more than that produced in April 2022.
In April 2023, the nation generated 1,41,898 million units (MU) of electricity overall, compared to 1,36,465 MU in April 2022. In April 2023, coal-based power generation totaled 1,08,106 MU, accounting for 76.19% of the month’s total power generation.
India ranks sixth in the world for coal production, and because it consumes a lot of coal, it imports some of it, especially coking coal, which is less common in India and is utilized in the steel sector. Production of coking coal increased by 18.07% from 4.14 MT in April 2022 to 4.89 MT in April 2023.