India Now Home to 2 of the World’s 5 Largest Coal Mines: Report

Two coal mines operated by South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a subsidiary of Coal India based in Chhattisgarh, have been ranked among the world’s largest. According to WorldAtlas.com, the Gevra and Kusmunda coal mines hold the 2nd and 4th positions respectively in the top 10 list.

Located in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district, these mines collectively produce over 100 million tons of coal annually, contributing approximately 10% of India’s total coal production.

The Gevra opencast mine, which began operations in 1981, boasts an annual production capacity of 70 million tons and produced 59 million tons of coal in the financial year 2023-24. It has sufficient coal reserves to meet India’s energy demands for the next decade.

The Kusmunda opencast mine, the second-largest in India, produced more than 50 million tons of coal in the financial year 2023-24, following closely behind the Gevra mine.

These mines utilize some of the most advanced and largest mining machinery in the world. This includes the “Surface Miner,” which extracts and cuts coal without blasting, promoting eco-friendly mining operations. For overburden removal, the process of clearing soil and stone to expose the coal seam, they employ large Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM), such as 240-ton dumpers and 42 cubic meter shovels, along with Vertical Rippers, ensuring environmentally friendly, blast-free operations.

SECL CMD Prem Sagar Mishra expressed pride in this achievement, highlighting that having two of the world’s five largest coal mines in Chhattisgarh is a significant milestone for the state. He extended gratitude to the Coal Ministry, environment ministry, state government, Coal India, Railways, various stakeholders, and particularly the coal workers for their tireless efforts.

India’s coal production has seen substantial growth from 382.62 million tons in 2004-05 to 893.19 million tons in 2022-23, with expectations to reach 1000 million tons in 2023-24.