State-run coal miner Coal India’s production grew by 7.9 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to 189.3 million tonnes (MT) during the first quarter of this fiscal year from 175.5 million tonnes in the same period last fiscal year.
In a statement issued on Monday, CIL said it exceeded the production target of 189.2 MT for the first quarter, achieving 100 per cent satisfaction.
“While all the seven producing arms of CIL achieved positive growth, five of them have breached their respective targets,” it said.
While Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL) witnessed 12.5 per cent y-o-y growth in production to 51.8 MT during Q1FY25, South Eastern Coalfields (SECL)‘s output grew 0.6 per cent y-o-y to 42 MT in the period. Northern Coalfields (NCL)‘s production stood at 35.8 MT, registering a 3.7 per cent growth. And, Eastern Coalfields (ECL) witnessed an 18.9 per cent y-o-y rise in its production to 11.7 MT during the period, according to a stock exchange filing.
Coal India’s output for the month of June 2024 increased to 63.1 MT, growing by 8.9 per cent y-o-y over last year’s June when it had produced 58 MT.
“On the back of a strong production growth and increased coal loading, CIL’s total supplies shot up to 198.4 MT during April-June 2024, a 6 per cent year-on-year growth. The increase of 11.4 MT in absolute numbers came over a high base of 187 MT,” the statement said.
At a time when the power demand in the country is spiking, CIL’s supplies to coal-fired plants grew by 4 per cent to 160 MT during Q1FY25, marking a y-o-y increase of 6 MT. CIL’s off-take to thermal power plants was 154 MT in the same period of FY24.
During Q1FY25, the coal behemoth’s supplies to the non-power sector stood at 38.4 MT, logging a 16 per cent y-o-y growth, which was an all-time high for the first quarter of any year to date. This sector was supplied 33 MT in April-June, 2023. The growth for June 2024 alone was 23 per cent y-o-y at 13.4 MT.
“Coal inventory at CIL’s pitheads stood at 81.5 MT at the end of the first quarter FY25, 40 per cent higher than 58 MT for the comparative period of last year, providing sufficient buffer to meet any sudden gush in demand,” the statement said.
On an average, the coal miner loaded 325.7 rakes per day to power sector during the first three months of the current financial year. This was 19 rakes more per day compared to 306.7 rakes that CIL loaded in the first quarter of the last financial year. This included loading from CIL’s own sidings, private washeries, and goods sheds. One rake corresponds to approximately 4,000 tonnes of coal.
Total average coal loading registered a healthy double digit growth of 10.3 per cent y-o-y at 367.2 rakes per day. For the comparative period of last fiscal, the figure was 333.