Coal India plans big increase in output

Coal India , which is under pressure to scale up its output, has targeted a production of 615 million tonnes by 2016-17.

Coal India's output in 2011-12 stood at 435.84 million tonnes while it has targeted an output of 468.74 MT for FY 2013.

To increase its output, Coal India has identified 69 new projects and 56 spill over schemes.

Coal India meets 80 per cent of the domestic demand.

"The coal production target set by CIL for the terminal year of the 12th Plan (2016-17) is 615 MT, with the assumption that requisite clearances viz., environmental and forest clearances, land acquisition, law & order issues and evacuation problems are addressed in a time bound manner with the cooperation of the Central and state agencies," it said.

Coal India has been asked by the Prime Minister's Office to sign fuel supply agreements (FSAs) with power plants that have come up after April, 2009 and till last week, the PSU had entered into FSA with 14 firms.