Coal Exploration in India

Exploration of coal resources in the country is a continuous process. Ministry of Coal through its central sector scheme supports the promotional or regional exploration and detailed exploration in non Coal India Limited (CIL) blocks.

Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) is the nodal agency in coal exploration and does exploration departmentally or through its contractual agencies for Coal India subsidiaries companies and also for Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Coal.

The total estimated coal resources in the country is 319.02 billion tonnes as per the inventory of Geological Resources of Indian Coal (as on 01.04.2018), prepared by the Geological Survey of India.

The total coal extracted from the coalfields of India during 2017-18 is 680.46 million tonnes and since 1950 up to 2017-18 is around 15122.28 million tonne (as per Coal Controller, MoC, Govt. of India). Every year about 3 to 5 billion tonnes of proved (measured) resources are being added through fresh exploration to the Coal Inventory of India. At the present rate of extraction, coal will last for several decades.