Do you know that all the energy we use right here in India, you know the electricity we get in our houses, yes, 55% of that depends upon coal. Thankfully, we literally have coal abundance in the country, and the overall mining work for coal is on the rise and at the fullest as of 2024. So much so that recently, Gevra Opencast Mine and Kusmunda Opencast Mine of Chhattisgarh became the two mines from India among the top 5 largest mines in the entire world. That just goes to show how coal mining is one of the major things in India, not just for the sake of it or for the exports, but it is for fulfilling and keeping up with the rising demand for energy in the country as well. With that said, come with us as we talk about these top 5 major coal mines in India as of 2024. So, here we go.
1. Gevra Opencast Mine, Chhattisgarh
See, when we are about to begin the discussion about the biggest coal mines in India, we can’t just get past the name of Gevra Opencast Mine of Chhattisgarh. To be precise, this mine is located in the Korba district of the state. And just so you know, this mine is actually operated and controlled by the South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), which many of you may already know, is a main arm company of Coal India Limited (CIL). Alright, enough of the intro stuff, let’s talk about the coal production numbers now. So, talking about this one, well, Gevra Opencast Mine’s capacity is somewhat around 70 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). By looking at that number, it is not that hard to believe why this particular mine holds a special place when it comes to coal mining in India.
2. Kusmunda Opencast Mine, Chhattisgarh
If we talk about the production amount of a coal mine, sure, Gevra mine is at the top of the list, but just one spot down, there is Kusmunda Opencast Mine, which is again, situated in the Korba district of Chhattisgarh. Yes, that much coal is found in this state, so no wonder there are so many popular coal mines. Talking about the production amount, well, it is not very far off from the Gevra. To be precise, it is actually 50 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) capacity. These first two are the biggest coal mines, not just in India, but they have made it to the top 5 coal mines in the world’s list too.
3. Dipka Opencast Project
It is not like all the coal in Chhattisgarh is just in the Korba district, when you look around a bit on the map, you’ll see another name. And that would be the Dipka Opencast project. This one is situated in Dipka town, which is also part of the Korba district. And with this one, you’d be thinking about how important Chhattisgarh is when it comes to coal mining in the country. But wait till we tell you that this Dipka Opencast Mine also produces a mind-boggling amount of coal. Yes, it is around 37.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).
4. Bhubaneswari Opencast Project
Alright, now let’s finally look around elsewhere, well, other than Chhattisgarh. And this time, we have a coal mine on this list from the neighboring state, Odisha. Yes, we are talking about the Bhubaneswari Opencast Project. This one has actually been operated by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) and that too ever since 2006. So a long time ago. By now, we are pretty certain that you want to know the production capacity of this coal mine, well, it is 30 million tonnes per annum.
5. Jayant Opencast Mine
Last on the list, still with 25 million tonnes per annum production capacity, there is Jayant Opencast mine from the Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh. And this one is actually one of the oldest coal mines in the country, you know, operating since the mid-70s. But this one has done things a bit differently, they have also transformed around 1,400 hectares of mined land into some lush green and good-to-look-at land.
Conclusion
All in all, when you look at the overall coal production in India, these are by far the biggest contributors when we talk about all the coal mines in the country. So yes, next time someone is talking about coal mining or coal production, well, you’d have another interesting topic to talk about, that’s for sure.
