Country’s coal import has registered a drop of five per cent at 125.21 million tonnes (MT) in the April-September period of the ongoing financial year, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, coal and power minister Pralhad Joshi said that, had the production through auction, commercial coal auction not started, then as per compound annual growth rate (CAGR) there would have been a need to import 150 million tonnes (MT) of coal, but the country has actually imported only 125.21 MT of coal during the April-September period of 2023-24.
“In the current year 2023-24, coal import up to the month of September 2023, was 125.21 MT, which is a decline of 5 per cent over the corresponding period last year,” the minister said.
The government has taken several measures to substitute coal imports.
There is a thrust on enhancement of domestic coal production which is key to achieve self-reliance and reduce dependence on imported coal.
In 2022-23, coal production increased by 14.77 per cent over the previous year.
In the current financial year, coal production target is 1,012.14 MT. Similarly, in 2025-26, Coal India Ltd (CIL) expects to produce one billion tonnes.