This Indian mine will become world's largest coal producer
22 Feb 2026

Coal India's Gevra mine in Chhattisgarh is on course to become the world's largest coal producer by next year.

The mine, run by South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL), a subsidiary of Coal India, is expected to produce 63 million tons (MT) of coal in 2027.

This will surpass the output of US mines and make it the top coal-producing site globally.

Gevra already India's largest opencast coal mine
Mine expansion

The Gevra mine has been operational since 1981 and is already India's largest opencast coal mine.

It is expected to produce 56MT this year and has already received environmental clearance for an expansion to a capacity of 70MT per annum.

SECL's Chairman and Managing Director Harish Duhan confirmed that "by next year, only Gevra mine will be producing 63MT."

SECL ready to meet production target of 56MT
Production strategy

Duhan said SECL is fully prepared to meet the production target of 56MT from Gevra this fiscal year.

He outlined four key resources needed for this ambitious target - land, machinery, manpower, and customer demand for coal dispatch.

"Our team possesses all requisite resources," he said.

The CMD also stressed on the availability of adequate land at site and all necessary equipment are in place with contracts awarded duly.

SECL diversifying into gasification, solar projects
Project expansion

SECL is also looking at diversifying into gasification and solar projects. The company plans to set up 700MW of solar projects in SECL itself.

"For floating solar, we are willing to work with the state government of Chhattisgarh," Duhan said.

The firm, along with the state government, is also keen on identifying some projects in critical minerals for a possible joint venture.