Caught between the target to be a net zero company and producing 1 billion tonne of coal by 2024, PSU miner Coal India Limited (CIL) has lined up Rs 26,550 crore worth of investments for diversification and environmental hazard mitigation bringing about greater sustainability in operations. The diversification would include generating a solar portfolio, setting up coal to liquid projects and surface coal gasification projects. Mechanising transportation and increasing the number of washeries would mitigate environmental pollution.

Coal India, also looking for the environment and social governance, has appointed a consultant for better understanding of the needful to manage risks of its operations on environment and people with the consultant helping out in assessing the company’s success beyond its finances. Aiming to reduce energy use, mining waste and pollution, Coal India aims at wider conservation of natural resources, especially land and forests as it has already planted 100 million trees since inception on 39,840 hectare.

A CIL official stated the corporation, advertising mechanised coal transportation at a price of Rs 12,500 crore, would move 406 million tonnes of coal a year by means of piped conveyor belts from 35 mining projects by FY24, assisting it to decrease dust pollution.

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