Coal Reserves In India
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Coal Reserves In India
Subject: Geography
Section: Economic geography
Concept-
Coal Reserves in India:
- India holds 107,727 million tons (MMst) of proven coal reserves as of 2016, ranking 5th in the world and accounting for about 9% of the world’s total coal reserves of 1,139,471 million tons (MMst).
- India has proven reserves equivalent to 111.5 times its annual consumption.
- This means it has about 111 years of Coal left (at current consumption levels and excluding unproven reserves).
Coal Production & Consumption in India:
- India is the second largest producer and consumer of coal after China, mining 716 million metric tons in 2018.
- Coal supplies over 40% of energy in India.
- Around 30% of coal is imported.
Deucha-Pachami Mines:
- Deucha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harinsinga coal block is the second-largest coal block in the world; it is the largest in India.
- It is located in Deucha and Panchamati area under Mohamad bazar community Development Block of Birbhum district, West Bengal.
- This coal mine or block belongs to Birbhum coalfield area.
- This coal mine is the largest coal mine or coal block in Asia, due to the amount of coal reserves. It is the newest coal mine in West Bengal.
- The block has a thick coal seam trapped between equally thick layers of rocks, mostly basalt. It has a great economic value.
- The existence of these thick basalt layers, however, makes mining of coal difficult; foreign investment and technology will be hence needed for mining.
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