Coal India subsidiary Western Coalfields (WCL) opened three new coal mines in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh having a combined annual production capacity of 2.9 million tonnes (MT). The company will infuse a total capital expenditure of Rs 8.49 billion on these projects. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi inaugurated the mines through video conference.

Speaking on the occasion, Joshi said, “WCL has to produce 75 MT of coal by financial year 2023-24. Opening of these mines will certainly add in the efforts of the company reaching this milestone and also help Coal India achieve one billion tonnes coal production target by financial year 2023-24.”

The three mines which WCL has opened are Adasa Mine, an underground to open cast mine in Nagpur area of Maharashtra, Sharda underground mine in Kanhan area and Dhankasa underground mine in Pench area of Madhya Pradesh. The annual coal production capacity of Adasa mine is 1.5 MT whereas Sharda and Dhankasa mines are having annual coal production capacities of 0.4 MT and 1 MT, respectively.

Opening of these three mines is a part of WCL’s future plan to start 20 new projects by financial year 2023-24 including 14 in Maharashtra and six in Madhya Pradesh. The company will make total capital expenditure of Rs 127.53 billion on these projects and generate direct employment of over 14,000, according to Joshi.