Coal India Limited (CIL) has pursued a strategy of large-scale diversification into energy, critical minerals, advanced materials, renewable energy and Research & Development (R&D) sectors, moving beyond traditional coal mining activities. The company is working on several large investment projects related to coal gasification, thermal power generation, solar energy, battery energy storage and critical minerals.
According to the Coal Ministry, CIL’s business development portfolio is based on five key areas. These include coal gasification and chemicals, thermal power, renewable energy and energy storage, critical minerals and advanced materials and other minerals including iron ore. The company currently has four coal-based chemical projects worth about Rs 69,346 crore, 2×800 MW Chandrapur Thermal Power Expansion Project, 550 MW solar capacity and several battery energy storage projects.
The company has four major projects operating in the coal gasification sector. These include Talcher Fertilizers Limited, Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited, Coal Gas India Limited and CIL-BPCL Chandrapur Project. These projects aim 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 developing a 1600 MW ultra super critical project at Chandrapura, Jharkhand. Along with this, the company is also focusing on high-efficiency power generation, emission control and water recycling.
In the renewable energy sector the company has installed about 550 MW solar capacity. Apart from this, a 20 MW floating solar project is being developed in Chilva Tal located in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The company is working on both commercial and self-use solar projects.
Major projects are being developed in Telangana and Odisha under Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The company believes that these projects will play an important role in effective use of renewable energy and grid stability in the future.
The ministry said that CIL is also actively exploring opportunities in the field of critical minerals. Apart from graphite resources in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, work is being done on opportunities related to rare earth elements in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The company plans to develop an integrated value chain from mining to production of graphite based battery anode materials.
The company is also increasing investment in the field of research and development. An R&D expenditure of Rs 225 crore is planned for FY 2026-27. The company’s R&D portfolio includes 20 projects worth Rs 231 crore. These include projects like 5G based smart mines, artificial intelligence, exploration of critical minerals, bifacial perovskite solar cells and underground coal gasification.
According to the Coal Ministry, Coal India aims to establish itself from a traditional coal producing company to a multi-faceted company in the energy, minerals, technology and advanced materials sectors, thereby strengthening the country’s energy security, mineral security and self-reliance.