Coal India Ltd (CIL), a state-owned miner, plans to invest around Rs 42,600 crore in low-emission infrastructure for fossil fuel mining and green energy to assist India in meeting its net-zero targets. Given the growing criticism of coal use, Agrawal stated that CIL intends to invest 24,000 crore in three phases of first mile connectivity (FMC) projects, including 10,500 crore in phase I, which will involve 35 projects and enable mechanised transportation of 415 million tonnes of coal. “We’ve spent a lot of money on evacuation. In Coal India, mechanised evacuation accounted for only 120 million tonnes (till a few years back). “By December 2024, it will be over 550 million tonnes,” he predicted in an interview.
In the second phase, the company will invest Rs 2,500 crore in nine FMC projects by FY25, which will handle the mechanised evacuation of 57 million tonnes of coal. In the third phase, 70 more projects have been identified, requiring an investment of 11,000 crore.