Coal expansion push: Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd to open two new mines in Odisha by FY30; targets 300MT output

Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd, will begin operations in two new coal mines in Odisha’s Talcher coalfield area by FY 2029-30, adding 35 million tonnes (MT) to its reserves, a senior company official said on Friday.“We are going to start operation of the Subhadra coal mine having a reserve of 25 MT in Talcher area by the end of financial year 2025-26,” MCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Uday A Kaole said during a media interaction in Sambalpur. The Balabhadra coal mine, with a capacity of 10 MT, is expected to be operational by FY 2029-30, he added, quoted PTI.At present, MCL operates 18 coal mines in Odisha’s Angul, Sundargarh and Jharsuguda districts. Of these, three are underground mines and 15 are open-cast, the agency reported. The operational mines in Angul include Jagannath, Bhubaneswari, Bharatpur, Hingula, Lingaraj, Kaniha and Talcher (UG). Subhadra and Balabhadra will be added to this list.To improve transparency, MCL has installed CCTVs in 98% of its operational areas. The remaining 2% will be covered soon, the CMD said. “We are also using artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time tracking of coal transportation vehicles which are GPS enabled,” Kaole added.He said MCL has a coal reserve of 35 MT, ensuring steady supplies for power generation. In FY 2024-25, MCL produced 225 MT of coal, registering 9% growth over the previous year. Total coal dispatch stood at 210 MT, reflecting a 6% increase, the report said.“98 per cent of our total coal production is being done through eco-friendly surface mines, which is highest in the country,” Kaole said.The company has set a net zero carbon emission target for FY 2029. To support this transition, it plans to invest Rs 17,900 crore in renewable energy projects including solar, wind and pumped storage power plants across Odisha, another official added.MCL has set a coal production target of 239 MT for FY 2025-26, with an aim to raise output to 300 MT by FY 2029-30.