World's No 3 producer looks to increase output

摘要

Indian coal production has risen from around 70mt at the time of nationalisation in early 1970s to 382.14 mt in 2004-05, itself an increase of almost 41 mt over the 2002 coal figure. Most of the coal production in India comes from open cast mines, which contribute over 81 per cent of the total, with a number of mega open cast mines of over 10 mtpa in operation. Underground mining currently accounts for approximately 19 per cent of overall domestic output. Coal Minister Dasari Narayana Rao recently told the Indian parliament that 247 bnt of coal deposits available up to a depth of 1200m have been identified in the country, which would last for around 240 years. He said the sustainability of coal reserves in the country is derived from available proven reserves and present production rate and is defined by . Reserves to Production (R/P) ratio.