Coal India Q1 Production Up 8% To 189.3 MT

Coal India Ltd.'s coal production rose 8% to 189.3 million tonne in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, according to a business update. The company's coal output was 175.5 MT in the April–June period of the previous fiscal. Moving past the target of 189.2 MT, CIL achieved 100% satisfaction in the first quarter of the current fiscal, according to the update.

While all seven producing arms of CIL achieved positive growth, five of them breached their respective targets.

CIL’s output for June rose to 63 MTs, growing by around 9% year-on-year from 58 MTs in the same month last year. The month’s output increase in volume terms was 5 MTs.

On the back of strong production growth and increased coal loading, CIL’s total supplies shot up to 198.4 MT during the April-June quarter, with 6% year-on-year growth. The increase of 11.4 MTs in absolute numbers came over a high base of 187 MTs.

At a time when the power demand in the country is spiking up, CIL’s supply to coal-fired plants grew by 4% to 160 MT during Q1 FY25, with a year-on-year jump of 6 MT.

CIL’s off-take to thermal power plants was 154 MT in the same period of FY24. Its supplies to the non-power sector, at 38.4 MT, logging 16% growth during the referred period, were an all-time high for Q1 of any year to date. This sector supplied 33 MTs in April–June 2023. The growth for the month of June 2024 alone was 23% at 13.4 MTs.

On average, CIL loaded 325.7 rakes per day into the power sector during the first three months of the current financial year. This was 19 rakes more per day, compared to 306.7 rakes that CIL loaded in the first quarter of FY24, marking a growth of 6%. This includes loading from CIL’s own sidings, private washeries and goods sheds. One rake corresponds to approximately 4,000 tonnes of coal.

Total average coal loading registered a healthy double-digit growth of 10.3% year-on-year at 367.2 rakes per day. This compares to 333 rakes per day in the same period last year.

Coal inventory at CIL’s pitheads stood at 81.5 MT in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, 40% higher than 58 MT for the comparative period of last year, providing sufficient buffer to meet any sudden gush in demand.

Shares of Coal India closed 0.22% higher at Rs 474.15 per share, compared to a 0.56% advance in the Sensex.