NEW DELHI: Coal India Limited (CIL) has recorded a growth of 8 percent in coal production in Q1 of FY2024-25, said the PSU in a statement. “Staying ahead of the progressive target, Coal India Limited (CIL) raised its coal production to 189.3 million tonnes (MTs) in the first quarter ending, June FY 2025. This was 13.8 MTs more in volume terms compared to the corresponding quarter of FY 2024, posting nearly 8 percent growth. Production during the last fiscal same period was 175.5 MTs,” said Coal India.

Coal India was given a target of 189.2 MT by the government for Q1 of the current fiscal. “Moving past the target of 189.2 MTs, CIL achieved 100 percent satisfaction in Q1 of the current fiscal year,” said the statement. While all the seven producing arms of CIL achieved positive growth, five of them have breached their respective targets, it added.

CIL’s output for June rose to 63 MT, growing by around 9 percent over June 2024 when it produced 58 MT. The month’s output increase in volume terms was a strong 5 MT.

On the back of strong production growth and increased coal loading, CIL’s total supplies shot up to 198.4 MT during April-June 2024, with 6 percent year-on-year growth. The increase of 11.4 MT in absolute numbers came over a high base of 187 MTs.

At a time when the power demand in the country is spiking up, CIL’s supplies to the coal-fired plants grew by 4 percent to 160 MT during Q1 FY2024-25, with a year-on-year jump of 6 MT. CIL’s off-take to thermal power plants was 154 MT in the same period of FY 2024.

CIL’s supplies to the non-power sector at 38.4 MT, logging a 16 percent growth, during the referred period, were an all-time high for Q1 of any year to date. This sector was supplied 33 MT in April-June 2023. The growth for June alone was 23 percent at 13.4 MT.

On average, CIL loaded 325.7 rakes per day to the 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 FY 2024, marking a growth of 6 percent. This includes loading from CIL’s own sidings, private washeries and goods sheds. One rake corresponds to approximately 4,000 tonnes of coal.

The total average coal loading registered a healthy double-digit growth of 10.3 percent y-oy at 367.2 rakes/day. For the comparative period of the last year, the same was 333 rakes/day. Coal inventory at CIL’s pitheads stood at 81.5 MT at the end of the first quarter of FY25, 40 percent higher than 58 MT for the comparative period of the last year, providing sufficient buffer to meet any sudden gush in demand.