New Delhi, 20 September (H.S.): Coal India Limited (CIL) has adopted a large-scale diversification strategy beyond its traditional coal-mining operations, expanding into energy, critical minerals, advanced materials, renewable energy and research and development (R&D). The company is pursuing several major investment projects involving coal gasification, thermal power generation, solar energy, battery energy storage and critical minerals.

According to the Ministry of Coal, CIL’s business development portfolio is centred on five major areas: coal gasification and chemicals, thermal power, renewable energy and energy storage, critical minerals and advanced materials, and iron ore along with other minerals. The company currently has four coal-based chemical projects involving an investment of approximately Rs 69,346 crore, a 2x800 MW Chandrapur thermal power expansion project, 550 MW of solar capacity and several battery energy storage projects.

In the coal gasification sector, the company is undertaking four major projects. These include Talcher Fertilizers Limited, Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited, Coal Gas India Limited and the CIL-BPCL Chandrapur project. The objective of these projects is to produce urea, ammonium nitrate, synthetic natural gas and other chemicals from coal, thereby reducing dependence on imports.

In the thermal power sector, CIL and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) are jointly developing a 1,600 MW ultra-supercritical power project at Chandrapura in Jharkhand. Alongside this, the company is focusing on high-efficiency power generation, emissions control and water recycling.

In the renewable energy sector, the company has already established approximately 550 MW of solar capacity. In addition, a 20 MW floating solar project is being developed at Chilwa Tal in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The company is working on both commercial and captive solar projects.

Under the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) initiative, large-scale projects are being developed in Telangana and Odisha. The company believes these projects will play an important role in the effective utilisation of renewable energy and in maintaining grid stability in the future.

The ministry said CIL is also actively exploring opportunities in the critical minerals sector. In addition to graphite resources in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the company is working on opportunities related to rare earth elements in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. CIL plans to develop an integrated value chain extending from mining to the production of graphite-based battery anode materials.

The company is also increasing its investment in research and development. For the financial year 2026-27, it has planned an R&D expenditure of Rs 225 crore. CIL’s R&D portfolio comprises 20 projects involving an investment of Rs 231 crore. These include projects involving 5G-based smart mines, artificial intelligence, exploration of critical minerals, bifacial perovskite solar cells and underground coal gasification.

According to the Ministry of Coal, Coal India aims to transform itself from a traditional coal-producing company into a diversified enterprise operating across the energy, minerals, technology and advanced materials sectors. The strategy is intended to strengthen the country’s energy security, mineral security and self-reliance.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar