India aims to boost coal output by up to 100 million tonnes, reopen closed mines

India is looking to boost its coal output by 75-100 million tonnes in the next two-to-three years by restarting closed mines, the country’s coal secretary A K Jain said on Friday.

India, the world’s second largest producer, importer and consumer of coal, produced 777.2 million tonnes of the fuel during the year ended March 2022 and burnt over a billion tonnes.

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State-run Coal India, the world’s largest coal miner, which produces 80% of India’s coal, plans to increase annual output to 1 billion tonnes by 2024, from 622.6 million tonnes currently.