SECL reports record coal output in 2017-18

Coal India subsidiary South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) produced a record 144.71 million tonnes (MT) of coal in 2017-18, according to its annual report.

The production rose by 3.36 MT in 2017-18 against 140 MT in 2016-17.

The 2017-18 financial year witnessed a record production of 144.71 MT, which is not only the highest coal production amongst all subsidiaries of CIL but also accounts for more than 21 percent of the total coal production of India, the company said in its Annual Report 2017-18.

The company is operating 75 opencast and underground mines spread over the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, it added.

From opencast mines, the company produced 130.25 MT coal, registering a rise 3.83 percent as against 125.45 MT in the preceding fiscal.

However, it witnessed a fall of 0.62 percent from underground mines at 14.46 MT as against 14.55 MT in 2016-17.

There was also a rise of 9.17 percent rise in total offtake at 150.28 MT during 2017-18 compared to 137.66 MT in 2016-17.

The offtake by power sector grew 4.45 percent to 113.31 MT from 108.48 MT in 2016-17.

The offtake by cement sector also rose 19.56 percent to 2.69 MT from 2.25 MT in 2016-17 fiscal. At 34.27 MT, other users took 27.30 percent more coal this year as compared to 26.92 MT in the preceding fiscal.

The total dispatch grew 9.76 percent to 151.09 MT from 137.66 MT in the financial year 2016-17.

While the dispatch through roads rose by 25.59 percent to 65.97 MT in 2017-18, the dispatch via railways fell by 2.61 percent to 51.55 MT from 52.93 MT in 2016-17.