Good News: Coal India Subsidiary, SECL’s Output Hits Record Level For FY 2017-18

South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a subsidiary of Coal India, registered a record production level of 144.71 million tonnes (MT) of coal for the financial year (FY) 2017-18 according to the company’s annual report. The company recorded a 3.36 MT increase in coal mined compared to the figures achieved in FY 2016-17 which stood at 140 MT.

The company’s annual report also stated the figures achieved for the FY 2017-18 were all the more creditable as the production at SECL was the highest among all Coal India subsidiaries and the same accounted for 21 per cent of the coal mined in the country. The company’s area of operations cover the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh where it is reported to be operating 75 opencast and underground mines.

The news on SECL’s production numbers should be taken as an extremely positive development as India continues to rely majorly on thermal power to generate electricity for its economy. Coal based power plants contribute 57.3 per cent of the total installed capacity across all energy sources highlighting the importance of mining adequate quantities of coal.

SECL’s performance is also noteworthy for the fact that in the period that the company showed a record output in coal mined, India also recorded a rise in thermal coal imports which was a first in three financial years. SECL along with Mahanadi Coal Fields are the two major coal producing subsidiaries of Coal India and together contribute almost 50 per cent of the coal mined by the latter in India.