SECL’s Gevra and Kusmunda Mines Shine Among World’s Largest: Achieving Top Ranks in Coal Production

The Gevra and Kusmunda blocks of South Eastern Coalfields, which are owned by the state, have achieved the second and fourth positions, respectively, in the WorldAtlas.com’s list of the world’s 10 largest coal mines in terms of production volume. These mines, located in the Korba district of Chhattisgarh, collectively produce over 100 million tonnes (MT) of coal every year, accounting for approximately 10% of India’s total coal production. The South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) announced this in a statement on Thursday.

The Gevra mine has an annual production capacity of 70 MT and produced 59 MT of coal in the fiscal year 2023-24, while Kusmunda produced over 50 MT of coal. Both of these are open-cast mine projects, according to the state-owned firm.

SECL’s Chairman and Managing Director, Prem Sagar Mishra, stated, “It is a proud moment that two of the world’s five largest coal mines are located in Chhattisgarh.”

According to the list, the Black Thunder Mine and North Antelope Rochelle Mine in the US secured the first and third positions, respectively, with an estimated production of 62.68 MT and 56.25 MT of coal in 2023. The Northern Shaanxi Mine in China secured the fifth spot on the list with coal production of 41.34 MT in the previous year.

SECL, based in Bilaspur, possesses 59 blocks and is one of the top three coal-producing subsidiaries of Coal India Ltd (CIL) under the Ministry of Coal. In the fiscal year 2023-24, CIL’s total output was 773 MT, with SECL contributing 187 MT to this output.