Bhavnagar Lignite Mine

This article is part of the Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

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Bhavnagar Lignite Mine is an operating coal mine in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Bhavnagar Lignite Mine	Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India	21.67208367, 72.23652471 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	2008	–

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
3	1.64	2022	Surface	Open Pit	36.72	50*	500*

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt)	Year of Total Reserves Recorded	Total Resources (Mt)	Coalfield	Coal Type	Coal Grade	Primary Consumer/ Destination
114.72	–	–	–	Lignite	Thermal	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited	Government of Gujarat	India

Expansion/Extension

Table 6: Project status

* Added capacity of a coal mine refers to the enhancement in the mine's production capabilities beyond its initial production capacity.

Status	Status Detail	Project Type	Project Phase	Added Capacity (Mtpa)*	Start Year
Proposed	Pre-Permit	Expansion	–	2	–

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the GEM April 2024 Global Coal Mine Tracker dataset.

Background

Bhavnagar Lignite Mine (also known as Surkha North Lignite Mine) is an opencast coal mine in Bhavnagar, Gujarat State, India. The mine, which produces up to 3 million tonnes per annum, is operated by Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited (GMDC), a subsidiary of the Government of Gujarat. The Surkha Lignite mine started lignite mining in 2008 with the aim of meeting the growing lignite demand of industries of South Gujarat and Saurashtra.

A rarity for mines in India, there is no forest land in the mining lease area occupied by the mine.

• Operator: Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited
• Owner: Government of Gujarat
• Location: Bhavnagar, Gujarat State, India
• Coordinates: 21.67208367, 72.23652471 (exact)
• Mine Status: Operating
• Production: 3.17 MTPA (2019)
• Total Reserves: 114.72 million tonnes (2019)
• Coal Type: Lignite
• Mine Type: Surface
• Mine Size: 36.72 km2
• Start Year: 2008
• Source of Financing:

Expansion

Due to the downsizing of lignite production from Panandhro Lignite Mine, the desire to supply a 500 MW lignite-based power plant in Bhavnagar district in close vicinity of Surkha (N) mine, and the existence of a number of large cement industries in Saurashtra which have started using GMDC lignite, GMDC proposed an increase in the mine's production capacity from 3 to 5 MTPA over its existing mine lease area of 3672 hectares.

At an annual capacity of 5 million tonnes, the Surkha (N) lignite deposit has a life of 16 years.

While the Terms of Reference for enhancing the lignite production capacity were granted in August 2019, as of August 2022, the EC is still pending approval.

Expansion Details

• Status: Proposed
• Capacity: 2 MTPA
• Mineable Reserves: 114.72 Million tonnes
• Start Year:
• Source of Financing:
• Permits:

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Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.