NTPC Limited, India's leading integrated power company, has achieved another milestone through its coal-mining subsidiary NTPC Mining Limited (NML). The company has crossed the 100 million metric tonne (MMT) coal production mark for the first time. NTPC Limited has achieved this feat on February 25, 2024, the day NTPC Mining Limited produced a total of 100.04 MMT of coal.
This figure has been achieved for the first time since January 1, 2017, when coal production started at its first coal mine, Pakri Barwadih. It is notable that the first 50 MMT coal production figure was achieved on June 19, 2022 i.e. in 1,995 days. Whereas the next 50 MMT coal production was achieved in less than one third of this time i.e. in only 617 days.
This excellent performance reflects NTPC Mining's continued commitment towards increasing coal production from its captive mines. This subsidiary thus contributes to the fuel security of NTPC and ensures efficient supply of coal to meet the energy needs of the country. At present NTPC Mining Limited has five operational captive coal mines. These are Pakri Barwadih, Chatti Bariatu and Keredari coal mines in Jharkhand, Dulanga coal mine in Odisha and Talaipalli coal mine in Chhattisgarh.
NTPC has implemented several strategies and technologies to achieve sustained growth in coal production. These include adopting strict safety measures, better mine planning, equipment automation, workforce training and implementation of continuous monitoring and analysis systems. NML has set a target to produce 100 MMT of coal every year by the year 2030.