Coal India to invest Rs 1,900 crore in R&D by FY2030
Coal India Limited (CIL) plans to invest approximately Rs 1,900 crore in research and development (R&D) by the end of FY2030 as it increases focus on technologies with higher levels of commercial readiness. The company is expanding its R&D programme to support future growth and technology development across coal mining, clean energy, and allied sectors.
CIL’s R&D expenditure increased four-fold to Rs 245 crore in FY2024-25 from Rs 61 crore in the previous fiscal year. The increase follows the establishment of the National Centre for Coal and Energy Research (NaCCER) during FY2024-25. Operating on a hub-and-spoke model, NaCCER has shifted the company’s research focus from proof-of-concept studies to prototype development, targeting Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of 4 and above.
Innovation framework
To strengthen its innovation ecosystem, CIL has formulated a comprehensive R&D policy. The company has also established three Centres of Excellence (CoE) at Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs): the Centre of Clean Coal Energy and Net Zero (CLEANZ) at IIT Hyderabad, the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) at IIT Madras, and the Innovation in Mining (IMiN) at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.
These centres function as research spokes under NaCCER and focus on pilot-scale research and technology validation. CIL has committed Rs 253 crore for these centres, with funding to be released in phases.
Research projects
At present, 19 R&D projects with a total outlay of Rs 225 crore are being executed by scientific institutions under NaCCER’s oversight. In addition, 13 projects are underway at the CoEs.
The research covers clean coal technologies, carbon capture and utilisation, mineral beneficiation, recovery of rare earth elements, high-ash coal gasification, sustainable materials, mine repurposing, and advanced wastewater treatment.
International partnerships
CIL has entered into international collaborations with Ergo Exergy of Canada for an underground coal gasification project, Ericsson of Sweden for implementation of 5G technology at the Jhanjra underground mine, and CSIRO of Australia for joint research initiatives.