NEW DELHI: Coal India Limited (CIL) is accelerating the modernization of India’s coal mining sector, shifting from conventional extraction methods toward technology-driven and sustainable smart operations. The strategic overhaul integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, and digital platforms across all operational stages, including exploration, mining, coal evacuation, and environmental monitoring, aimed at boosting safety, boosting coal recovery, and enabling predictive maintenance.
To enhance resource discovery, CIL is pairing traditional core drilling with non-invasive 2D and 3D seismic surveys, effectively cutting required boreholes by up to 50 percent. Concurrently, machine learning models such as Support Vector Machines and Random Forest are interpreting coal seams from geophysical logs, while CIL’s exploration wing, Central Mine Planning & Design Institute (CMPDI), is deploying remote sensing, GIS, LiDAR, drones, and bathymetric surveys for complete lifecycle mine mapping.
