State-owned company Coal India Limited (CIL) announced plans to invest approximately Rs 1,900 crore in research and development (R&D) activities by the fiscal year 2030. The company aims to enhance technological innovation and adapt to the changing energy landscape. CIL has set up the National Centre for Coal and Energy Research (NaCCER) in the financial year 2024-25 to intensify its R&D efforts.
The NaCCER operates on a hub-and-spoke model with a focus on expediting prototype development and technology deployment. A senior official from CIL expressed the company’s goal to elevate R&D efforts to drive future growth and technological advancements. Notably, CIL’s R&D spending surged from Rs 61 crore to Rs 245 crore in the fiscal year 2024-25, reflecting a significant increase.
Coal India has devised a comprehensive R&D policy to establish a structured innovation framework. To foster collaboration between industry and academia, the company has established three Centres of Excellence (CoEs) at prominent Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) including IIT Hyderabad, IIT Madras, and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. Furthermore, CIL has allocated Rs 253 crore for these centers, to be disbursed in phases.
Currently, 19 R&D projects valued at Rs 225 crore are in progress under the direct supervision of NaCCER by renowned scientific institutions. Moreover, 13 pilot-scale research and prototype development projects are ongoing at the CoEs, covering various strategic areas such as clean coal technologies, carbon capture, coal gasification, and environmental remediation. Coal India has also engaged in international collaborations with companies from Canada, Sweden, and Australia for various projects.
