India Coal Reserves Sufficient For Energy Security: Minister

New Delhi: India has sufficient domestic coal reserves to contribute to the country's energy security with coal and lignite resources at 389.42 billion tonnes and 47.29 billion tonnes, respectively, as on March 1 this year, according to the latest estimates of the Geological Survey of India, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

The existing coal reserves of the country are being effectively utilised with the fuel accounting for 55 per cent of the country's energy needs, Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy told the Lok Sabha in a written reply to a question. Lignite, also known as brown coal, is a type of coal that has a lower carbon content, lower energy value, and higher moisture content than other types of coal and is therefore listed separately.

The focus of the government is on increasing the domestic production of coal to meet the energy requirements of the country. The country has witnessed highest highest-ever coal production in the year 2023-24 at 997.826 million tonnes (MT) which represents an 11.71 per cent increase over the corresponding figure of 893.191 MT in 2022-2023, the minister said.

In the current year 2024-25, the country has recorded a 5.45 per cent increase in coal production to 929.15 MT up to February 2025, from 881.16 MT in the same period of 2023-24, he added.

Reddy further stated that to enhance extraction and processing efficiency, coal companies have introduced mass production technologies with minimal manual intervention to boost productivity, reduce costs, and enhance safety. Continuous Miners in underground mines and Surface Miners in opencast mines are also deployed for coal-cutting and large-sized Heavy Earth Moving Machinery for overburden removal. The minister said that the government has taken several steps to increase coal production in the country to ensure energy security, including regular reviews by the Ministry of Coal to expedite the development of coal blocks.