Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), a part of Coal India Ltd, has announced that it will open two new coal mines in Odisha’s Talcher coalfield area by the financial year 2029-30. These new mines are expected to add 35 million tonnes (MT) to its coal reserves.
According to MCL Chairman Uday A Kaole, the Subhadra coal mine, which holds 25 MT of coal, will start operating by the end of the 2025-26 financial year. Another mine, Balabhadra, with a capacity of 10 MT, is planned to begin operations by 2029-30.
Currently, MCL runs 18 coal mines across the Angul, Sundargarh, and Jharsuguda districts in Odisha. Of these, 3 are underground and 15 are open-cast (surface) mines. The new Subhadra and Balabhadra mines will be added to the existing list of mines in Angul like Jagannath, Bhubaneswari, Bharatpur, and others.
To make its operations more transparent, 98% of MCL’s mining areas are now covered by CCTV, and the rest will be added soon. The company is also using artificial intelligence (AI) and GPS to track coal transport vehicles in real time.
MCL currently has a coal reserve of 35 million tonnes, which will help keep power plants running smoothly. In 2024-25, MCL produced 225 MT of coal, a 9% increase from the previous year. It dispatched 210 MT, marking a 6% rise.
CMD Kaole noted that 98% of their coal production comes from eco-friendly surface mines, which is the highest in India.
Looking to the future, MCL is also focusing on sustainability. The company has a net zero carbon emission goal for 2029 and plans to invest Rs 17,900 crore in renewable energy projects such as solar, wind, and pumped storage power plants across Odisha.
MCL has set a coal production target of 239 MT for 2025-26, aiming to reach 300 MT by 2029-30.
