Gevra coal mine gets environmental nod for expansion

New Delhi: The coal ministry on Tuesday said that Gevra mine, operated by South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) in Chhattisgarh, has received environmental clearance to boost its production capacity to 70 million tonnes per annum. The expansion will position Gevra as the largest coal mine in Asia, overtaking Indonesia's Sangatta mine in coal production.

Currently, Gevra's production capacity stands at 52.5 million tonnes a year, making it the largest in India. The expansion aligns with India's aim of achieving self-sufficiency in coal production and phasing out imports for power generation by the fiscal year 2025-26 (FY26).

The Gevra mine stretches approximately 10 km in length and 4 km in width.

SECL, a Coal India subsidiary, deploys environmentally friendly, blast-free mining technology, including surface miners and ripper mining equipment, in addition to heavy earth-moving machinery such as 42 cu.m shovels and 240-tonne dumpers for overburden removal.

In FY23, SECL produced 167 million tonnes of coal and aims to increase this to 200 million tonnes this fiscal year (FY24), with a goal of reaching 260 million tonnes by FY26.

The company also achieved its highest-ever mineral offtake last fiscal year at 160.05 million tonnes, with coal dispatch to the power sector at an all-time high of 139.92 million tonnes.

As of February in the current fiscal year, India has produced 880.72 million tonnes of coal, a 12.14% increase from 785.39 million tonnes in the same period of FY23.