Coal India Expands: Moving Beyond Coal Mining into Energy, Minerals, and Research
Coal India Limited is diversifying its portfolio beyond traditional mining into technology-driven sectors such as coal gasification, renewable energy, and critical minerals.
Coal India Limited (CIL) is developing a diversified technology-based portfolio in the fields of energy, minerals, advanced materials, and Research and Development (R&D), expanding beyond its traditional coal mining operations. The company's business growth is focused on five key areas: coal gasification and coal-to-chemicals, thermal power, renewable energy and storage, critical minerals and advanced materials, and diverse minerals including iron ore.
In the direction of coal-to-chemicals, CIL has launched four major initiatives. These include Talcher Fertilizers Limited (estimated cost of ₹19,062.22 crore), Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited (₹25,015.89 crore), Coal Gas India Limited (₹13,052.81 crore), and the CIL-BPCL Chandrapur initiative (₹12,214.86 crore). Additionally, the company is running a pilot project for Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) at the Kasta West block of Eastern Coalfields Limited, with the second phase expected to be completed in 2026.
In the energy sector, CIL is expanding a 2×800 MW ultra-supercritical brownfield project in Chandrapur in collaboration with the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC). The company has installed approximately 550 MW of solar energy capacity and is developing a 20 MW floating solar project at Chilwa Taal in Gorakhpur. Under the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), the Choutuppal project of 187.5 MW/750 MWh in Telangana and a portfolio of 80 MW/320 MWh in Odisha are being developed.
Regarding critical minerals, CIL is focusing on graphite deposits in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, as well as Rare Earth Elements (REE) in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The company aims to create an integrated graphite value chain, for which a demonstration plant has been proposed in collaboration with the NFDC.
For Research and Development (R&D), CIL has established a robust framework, prioritizing projects with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4 and above under the 2026 independent R&D policy. The company has set up Centers of Excellence at various IIT institutes, including IIT Madras (Sustainable Energy), IIT Hyderabad (CleanZ), and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad (Innovation in Mining and CII Center).
In terms of financial investment, ₹61.31 crore was spent on R&D in the 2023-24 financial year, with plans to increase this expenditure to ₹500 crore by the 2029-30 financial year. Through these strategic initiatives, the company aims to strengthen India's energy and mineral security and reduce dependence on imports.
