Coal news and updates

India’s captive blocks’ Feb output down 13% m-o-m

Coal production from the captive blocks in India decreased 13.22% to 3.74 million tons (mt) in February 2016 compared to 4.31 mt in January 2016, according to provisional data available with ICMW.

Captive coal blocks include those allotted via e-auction in 2015 and also that of Tata Steel and the blocks in operation in Meghalaya.

However, in January 2016, coal production from the captive blocks was down 17.62% from 4.54 mt recorded in the same month last year (January 2015). Production by the captive mines was 47.77% of the target of 7.83 mt set for the month.

During the first 11 months (April-February) of 2015-16, coal production from the captive blocks stood at 37.09 mt, nearly 56.64% lower compared to 58.10 mt produced in the same period of last fiscal.

The target for coal production from captive blocks in 2015-16 is 94 mt and ICMW understands that the target would not be met as a number of mines that were auctioned at the beginning of 2015 are yet to start production.