CIL plans to raise 71.3 MT of coal by 2016

New Delhi, June 6 (UNI) Public sector Coal India Ltd (CIL) has identified 16 opencast projects/mines under the "emergency coal production plan" to enhance production level to yield an additional 71.3 million tonnes (MT) of coal by 2016.

This incremental contribution is aimed at enabling the coal sector to, by and large, meet the projected demand of steam coal, a Ministry spokesman said today.

Under the emergency plan, coal production is targeted to go up from 19.0 MT in year one to 28.1 MT in year two, 33.9 MT in year three, 40.8 MT in year four, 46.3 MT in year five, 65.3 MT in year six, and 67.3 MT in year seven. By the eighth year, coal production will touch the optimum 71.3 MT level, and for the next two years this pace is expected to be maintained.

The Bhubaneswari, Kaniah, Lakhanpur and Bharatpur mines run by Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) are expected to step up production substantially from zero production levels at present in the Bhubaneswari and Kaniah mines to 10 MT and 6.5 MT by the tenth year.

Similarly, the South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) run mines -- Gevra, Dipka and Kusmunda -- will have production target levels of 10 MT, 5 MT and 5 MT by the tenth year from 2 MT, 2 MT and 1.5 MT respectively at present. SECL is the largest coal producing subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL).

The other mines which are expected to accelerate production from insignificant levels currently are the Central Coalfield Ltd mines of Magadh, Piparwar and Ashok and the Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) coalfields of Khadia, Amlohri, Dudichua and Jayant. NCL is the highest profit-making subsidiary of CIL.

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