South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) would be tapping into coking coal, and has already assessed potential for 7.5 million tonnes (MT) across varied regions in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, B.N. Jha, Area General Manager of Baikunthpur (Chhattisgarh) told reporters Monday (February 23, 2026).

“We have already affirmed the potential for coking coal in the Kewai block (Madhya Pradesh),” he stated, adding, “Further, in the Baikunthpur [Chhattisgarh] area itself, we have affirmed the potential in Labji Pusla mine and Katkona mine.”

According to Mr. Jha, the block in Madhya Pradesh houses potential for 3 MT of coking coal, whilst the Labji Pusla mine 3 MT and Katkona 1.5 MT. The General Manager added they are expected to be operational by 2029-30.

The latest development would imply the Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh)-headquartered miner’s descent into the coking coal space which is predominantly dominated by Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL).

For context, at present, India imports around 95% of its coking coal requirements of the steel sector. Further, according to govt estimates, India possesses an estimated 37.37 billion tonnes of coking coal resources, largely concentrated in Jharkhand, with additional reserves in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

(The reporter is in Bilaspur at the invitation of the Ministry of Coal).