COMMODITY
Coal demand likely to touch 1.6 billion tonnes per annum by 2030: Coal Secretary
Aug-17-2026

Union Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt has said that India's coal demand is likely to touch 1.6 billion tonnes per annum by 2030, and highlighted the need for transparent and market-driven pricing for the commodity. He said the setting up of the 'coal exchange', a government-established platform designed to work as an independent marketplace will be of help.

He further said in each of the last two fiscal years, domestic coal production has crossed 1 billion metric tonnes and the demand is continuing to grow as the commodity is a mainstay of energy needs. He said such a shift underscores the need for 'more efficient, transparent and market driven mechanisms for coal trade', and pointed out that till now the state-run Coal India has enjoyed a virtual 'monopoly'.

He said the coal exchanges will provide commercial and captive miners ready and transparent access to a wider market, wherein buyers and sellers can bid simultaneously enabling efficient, competitive, and market-driven price discovery. He noted that the government plans to operationalise the coal exchange concept in 'the months ahead'. 

He said the exchange will function as a central counterparty for clearing and settlement thereby improving risk management for both buyers and seller, and added that it can also help lay the foundation for a derivatives market for coal over a period of time. He further said coal exchange is a reform that reflects the government's commitment to enable and enhance ease of doing business, promote transparency and build a modern self-reliant energy ecosystem, and hoped that it will strengthen India's energy security, support industrial growth and contribute meaningfully to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

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