India’s coal production registered robust year-on-year growth of 7.51% in July 2026, supported mainly by the strong operational performance of Coal India Limited despite challenging monsoon conditions.
Overall coal production in the country reached 69.75 million tonnes in July 2026 on a provisional basis, up from 64.88 million tonnes in July 2025.
Coal India Limited, the state-owned miner that accounts for more than 80% of domestic coal output, produced 50.35 million tonnes during the month, an increase of 8.42% from a year earlier.
Coal supplies also reached record levels. Coal India recorded its highest-ever July offtake at 64.19 million tonnes, marking an 18.38% year-on-year increase and surpassing the previous July record of 60.5 million tonnes set in the 2024-25 financial year.
Supplies to the power sector, the largest consumer segment, rose 18% to 49.77 million tonnes. Supplies to the non-regulated sector increased 21% to 14.42 million tonnes.
Industry observers said the performance was particularly notable given the operational difficulties caused by heavy monsoon rainfall.
Coal India also reported a 21.11% rise in overburden removal to 120.35 million cubic metres in July. Overburden removal is a critical preparatory activity for sustained opencast coal mining.
On a cumulative basis, coal supplies during the April-July period of the 2026-27 financial year rose 6.9% year-on-year to a record 262.04 million tonnes. The previous record of 259.4 million tonnes was achieved during the corresponding period of 2024-25.
Overburden removal during the four-month period stood at 625.02 million cubic metres, up 2.85% from the previous fiscal year.
The captive and commercial coal mining sector also continued to expand. Production from these mines grew at a compound annual growth rate of about 10.7% between the 2024-25 and 2026-27 financial years.
Three new mines began production during the first quarter, adding a combined peak rated capacity of 7.51 million tonnes per annum to India’s domestic coal availability.
