The Strategist

India aims to triple underground coal production by 2028



11/27/2023 - 06:30



India plans to quadruple the amount of coal produced in mines in the next five years, to reach 100 million tons annually, writes the Financial Times citing the spokesperson for India's Ministry of Coal Industry Amrit Lal Meena. Currently, 95% of coal in India is obtained from open pits.



awpixel.com / Carol M Highsmith
awpixel.com / Carol M Highsmith
The government is working to build incentives to draw in international investment and encourage local equipment manufacture, Lal Meena stated. "India is on a trajectory of accelerated industrial and economic growth, and coal continues to play a key role in the country's development," he added.

The republic lacks a substitute fuel source that is both affordable and easily available to guarantee the population's energy security. The spokesperson claimed that phasing out imports and offsetting the depletion of open pit reserves will be accomplished by tripling underground coal production by 2028.

India currently imports 90 million tons of coal annually; however, as the nation's output rises, imports will gradually cease and exports will take over, as the country's internal fuel requirements would surpass 1.5 billion tons by 2030. It is believed that the nation possesses 361 billion tons of coal reserves.

source: ft.com