SAIL to operate Tasra coking coal mine by 2026

Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) plans to start operations at its Tasra coking coal mine in Jharkhand by late 2026. The mine will have a production capacity of 4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). This effort is part of SAIL’s strategy to reduce its dependence on imported coking coal. Currently, SAIL sources only 16% of its coking coal needs from India. A senior company official mentioned the goal of increasing this domestic supply. During the financial year 2023-24, SAIL consumed 19.37 million tonnes of coking coal, with only 2.45 million tonnes coming from local sources. In the previous fiscal year, India imported 58 million tonnes of coking coal, costing around ₹1.5 lakh crore. Most of this was sourced from Australia, followed by the US, Singapore, and Russia. The Tasra mine will support SAIL's plans to increase its steel production from 19.10 MTPA in 2024 to 35.65 MTPA by 2031.