New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS): Nine captive and commercial mines are expected to commence coal production in this fiscal, the government informed on Thursday.

As of August 31, 55 captive/commercial coal mines are in production. Of these, 33 mines are allocated to the power sector, 12 to the non-regulated sector, and 10 mines are allocated for the sale of coal, according to Coal Ministry statement.

There has been significant growth in coal production and dispatch from captive and commercial mines in the April-August period this year, compared with the same period last year.

The ministry said its efforts have yielded impressive results, with remarkable year-over-year (YoY) growth in both coal production and dispatch from captive and commercial mines.

Coal production increased by 32 per cent, rising from 50.11 million tonnes (MT) in April-August 2023 to 65.99 MT during the same period in the current fiscal.

Similarly, coal dispatch from these mines also showed significant growth of 32 per cent, increasing from 55.70 MT to 73.58 MT this fiscal, the ministry informed.

“These substantial increases in both production and dispatch demonstrate the effectiveness of the Ministry's initiatives and its commitment to enhancing India's domestic coal supply and aligns with the broader national goals of energy sufficiency and economic growth, positioning India for a more secure and prosperous future,” the coal ministry noted.

India’s coal production and supply trends for the period from April to August 2024 show a positive trajectory, despite some short-term variations in the month of August, due to above-normal precipitation impacting the mining and mobility.

When it comes to the power sector, the supply reached 338.75 MT, a growth of 4.13 per cent over the 325.33 MT supplied during the same period last year.

As per the official data, coal production has risen steadily in the last four years from 730.9 million tonnes in 2019-20.