Established in: 1975
Managing Director: Shri B. Sairam
Coal India Limited (CIL) is the largest government-owned coal-producing company in the world, headquartered in Kolkata. The Ministry of Coal, Government of India, controls and manages the company.
The company was founded in 1975 by the Government of India following the nationalisation of coal mines in India, and now accounts for around 82% of the total coal production in India. Coal India Limited launched its IPO in October 2010 and offered 10% of the equity shares to the public at an offer price of ₹245 per share. Its IPO was oversubscribed 14.17 times, raising around ₹15,000 crore and becoming the second-highest collection for an IPO in India.
In 2015, the Government of India launched an Offer for Sale (OFS) of a 10% stake in CIL, priced at ₹358 per share. The government raised around ₹22,557 crore from the offering.
In April 2011, Coal India Limited was awarded the Maharatna status by the Government of India, making it one of the 14 companies with the status. The Coal India Limited company is listed on both BSE and NSE, and is a part of the [Nifty 50]https://upstox.com/indices/nifty-50-share-price/).
History of Coal India Limited
Coal mining in India was primarily a private sector business before the Government of India launched its own coal company, ‘National Coal Development Corporation (NCDC)’ in September 1956. The company was built using 11 existing, state-owned coal mines, previously used by the Indian Railways. These collieries became the foundation for the development of the Indian coal sector. In 1971, the Government of India nationalised the coal industry and merged NCDC with Coal India Limited in 1975.
Business Segments of Coal India Limited
Coal mining and production
Extracting raw coal and lignite from open cast and underground coal mines is CIL’s core business operation. The seven CIL subsidiaries, namely, ECL, BCCL, CCL, WCL, SECL, NCL, and MCL, are focused on extracting and producing coal.
Coal washeries
The CIL operates various active washeries of coking and non-coking coals. These washeries improve the quality of the raw mined coal by reducing the ash and moisture content to make it cleaner and more efficient for use in power and steel industries.
Coal marketing and distribution
This business segment involves pricing, allocating and selling the extracted coal. CIL manages long-term Fuel Supply Agreements (FSAs) with sectors such as power, cement and steel. The coal is transported by railways, road and Merry-Go-Round (MGR) systems.
Mining consultancy and technical services
The CIL’s subsidiary, Central Mine Planning & Design Institute (CMPDI), manages the engineering and planning. It offers exploration, mine planning, research and drilling support to coal-producing subsidiaries.
Emerging segments
The CIL has now shifted its focus towards sustainable energy to reduce its carbon footprint and established a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) called CIL Navikarniya Urja Limited dedicated to developing solar and wind power projects.
Operations of Coal India Limited (CIL)
The Coal India Limited operates 85 coal mining areas with 310 working mines, out of which 129 are underground, 168 open cast and 13 mixed mines. The majority of the coal production is from open-cast mines. CIL produces various grades of non-coking and coking coal for diverse uses.
Non-coking coal is used in manufacturing fertiliser, cement, glass, ceramic, paper, chemical, brick and other applications. Whereas coking coal is used in steel manufacturing and metallurgical industries.
Coal India Limited Subsidiaries
The CIL has 8 wholly owned subsidiaries, 7 of which produce coal and one offers exploration, planning and technical support to those 7 production subsidiaries. The following are the subsidiaries of Cal India Limited.
- Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL)
- Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL)
- Central Coalfields Limited (CCL)
- Western Coalfields Limited (WCL)
- South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL)
- Northern Coalfield Limited (NCL)
- Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL)
- Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL)
Among the subsidiaries, the Northern Coalfield Limited (NCL) and Dankuni Coal Complex (DCC) are directly owned by the parent holding company, Coal India Limited (CIL). The DCC has been leased to South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) since 1995.
Joint Ventures of Coal India Limited (CIL)
Coal India Limited has the following joint ventures.
- International Coal Ventures Private Limited (ICVPL)
- CIL-NTPC Urja Private Limited
- Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited
- Coal Gas India Limited
Coal India Financial Highlights
- Revenue: Coal India reported revenue of ₹1,79,675.97 crore in FY26 vs ₹1,88,121.35 crore in FY25. It showed a decrease of 4.49% on a yearly basis.
- Operating Profit: Coal India reported an operating profit of ₹41,923.09 crore in FY26 vs ₹47,163.44 crore in FY25. It showed a decrease of 11.11% on a year-on-year basis.
- Net Profit: Coal India reported a net profit of ₹31,070.58 crore in FY26 vs ₹35,302.10 crore in FY25. It showed a decrease of 11.99% on a yearly basis.
Coal India Quarterly Result Highlights
- Coal India reported revenue of ₹51,617.75 crore in Mar 2026, compared with ₹47,220.01 crore in Dec 2025, representing an increase of 9.31% on a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis.
- Coal India reported an operating profit of ₹14,626.75 crore in Mar 2026, compared with ₹9,472.61 crore in Dec 2025, representing an increase of 54.41% on a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis.
- Coal India reported a profit of ₹10,907.79 crore in Mar 2026, compared with ₹7,165.98 crore in Dec 2025, reflecting an increase of 52.22% on a QoQ basis.
- The earnings per share (EPS) of Coal India stood at ₹57.37 during Mar 2026.
