India using lesser coal to generate power

India currently burns 8 per cent less coal to generate the same quantity of power as it did 4 years ago leading to reduced power cost, thanks to improved efficiency in using the dirty fuel. Also, in the past 4 years, total production by state-run miner Coal India (CIL) has jumped by 105 million tonne (MT) while the same growth could be achieved in 7 years before 2013-14. These are some of the highlights of the Modi government’s 4 years’ achievements shared by the coal ministry yesterday. Amount of coal required to generate per unit of has reduced by 8% in last 4 years. The drilling for exploration has almost doubled to 13.7 lakh meters in 2017-18 from 6.9 lakh meters in 2013-14. Coal offtake of CIL increased by 23 per cent to 580 MT in 2017-18 from 471 MT in 2013-14. For superior coal quality, third party sampling procedure has been implemented. The government has also established timeline for setting up 14 critical projects for coal evacuation to increase transportation of the fuel, according to the statement.