As part of its plans to unlock the full value of the abundant major minerals in the State, the government is looking to promote companies that can convert the underground coal deposits in the Chintalapudi-Racherla area of the Eluru district into gaseous form, thereby facilitating its use in multiple sectors. Efforts are being made to rope in some companies having patented technology to do compression and then gasification in the coal seams on a small scale initially, according to official sources. “If the process is successful, the output will be a significant value addition to our State in the mining sector”, a senior officer in the government told The Hindu, while noting that the project was in a nascent stage at the moment. An extension of the Godavari Valley Coalfield, these coal deposits are of low – grade but there is a hugerequirement from the industrial sector. The Central Government has expedited the process of auctioning and developing these blocks as per the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 2025, to realise their revenue – generating potential for both the Centre and the State. As per official data, Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) has approximately 1,025 Million Tons (MT) and 2,369 MT of measured and indicated coal resources, respectively, a vast chunk of them in the Godavari valley. The State Government has set its sights on coal gasification, keeping in view the diverse applications of its end products, which can be used in steel manufacturing, city gas grids, power generation and in multiple other sectors. Coal gas is considered especially useful to undertake combined cycle power generation in A.P. as it can substitute high – ash content coal (which is a nagging problem for thermal plants in the State) to a large extent. The increasing Central Government support to the States in tapping the potential benefits of coal gasification with a goal to turn 100 milliontonnes of coal into gas by 2030 is expected to be of great help to A.P. Published – February 25, 2026 01:04 pm IST Share this: Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email More Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon Click to share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky Like this:Like Loading... Post navigation Scientists change how El Nino is labelled to keep up with temperature spikes R. Nallakannu, a life committed to communism and social justice