Coal India today expressed the hope that it can start mining by 2014 in 13 of the 119 blocks alloted to it.
"The Coal Ministry has allotted 119 coal blocks to Coal India. Of them, we can produce coal from 13 in one or two years," Coal India Chairman and Managing Director S Narsing Rao told PTI.
The Ministry of Coal in May 2012 had alloted 116 blocks to CIL. In addition, it was alloted three de-allocated mines -- Brahmini, Chchro Pastimal and East of Damogoria.
The state-owned firm had asked for 138 mines in August 2008 in order to reverse the declining trend of production and to augment output.
Coal India has set a target to produce 464 million tonnes production for the current fiscal. Last fiscal, it had roduced 435.84 MT and envisages to take its production to the level to 615 MT by 2016-17, the last year of the 12th Five Year Plan.
"There should be exploration first. Thirteen are explored and are in advanced stage. May be in one or two years, one can start production but the balance, there are various stages, exploration, project report, infrastructure, besides the issues like whether the area falls in tiger zone or elephant zone," Rao said.
Coal India at present has 466 mines.
Meanwhile, the miner has also identified 142 new projects, including 107 open cast and 35 underground mining schemes with an ultimate capacity of 380.22 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), as new projects.
CIL had earlier said it wanted to take production capacity to 556 million tonnes (MT) by 2016-17. In 2011-12, it had recorded production of 435.8 MT.
The state-owned coal major accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic production.