India’s Coal Reserves
About Coal
- India occupies the second position globally in terms of coal production and possesses the fourth-largest estimated coal reserves.
- Given that 72% of the electricity in India is generated from coal, it becomes a very strategic sector for the nation’s development.
- This fossil fuel is found in a form of sedimentary rocks and is often known as ‘Black Gold’.
- It originated from organic matter wood. When large tracts of forests are buried under sediments, wood is burnt and decomposed due to heat from below and pressure from above. The phenomenon makes coal but takes centuries to complete.
Classification of Coal
| Classification | Anthracite | Bituminous | Lignite | Peat |
| Carbon content | Anthracite is the best quality of coal which carries 80 to 95 percent carbon content. | Bituminous carries 60 to 80 percent of carbon content and a low level of moisture content. | Lignite is often brown in color. It carries 40 to 55 percent carbon content. | Peat has less than 40 per cent carbon content. |
| Calorific Value | It ignites slowly with a blue flame. It has the highest calorific value. | It is widely used and has high calorific value. | It is an intermediate stage which happens during the alteration of woody matter into coal.
It has high moisture content so it gives smoke when burnt. |
It is in the first stage of transformation from wood to coal.
It has low calorific value and burns like wood. |
| Distribution | It is found in small quantities in Jammu and Kashmir. | It is found in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. | It is found in Rajasthan, Lakhimpur (Assam), and Tamil Nadu. | Peat deposits are found primarily along the western coast of India, particularly in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Goa. |
Types of coal on the basis of a time period
- Gondwana coal: Around 98 per cent of India’s total coal reserves are from Gondwana times. This coal was formed about 250 million years ago.
- Tertiary coal is of younger age. It was formed from 15 to 60 million years ago.
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