Coal India’s capital spending for April to September came in at Rs 7,966 crore, 27% up on last year and ahead of its own half-year target. The figure an equipment seller should look at is much smaller: only Rs 452 crore of it went on buying heavy earth moving machinery. Land and mine infrastructure each took more than four times that.
The quick facts
- Coal India H1 FY27 capex: Rs 7,966 crore, against Rs 6,283 crore in H1 FY26 (+27%).
- That is 109% of the Rs 7,286 crore half-year target and just over 48% of the Rs 16,500 crore annual plan.
- Mine infrastructure (railway sidings, corridors, coal handling plants, silos, weighbridges): Rs 2,152 crore. Land acquisition: Rs 2,033 crore.
- Plant and machinery: Rs 1,394 crore, of which HEMM procurement was Rs 452 crore. Diversification (solar, critical minerals, gasification, thermal power): over Rs 739 crore.
What Coal India reported
The numbers come from Coal India’s half-year capex statement, carried on 27 October by PSU Watch, the Free Press Journal and PSU Connect, which agree on every head. The four big heads add up to Rs 6,318 crore, or 79% of the half, which matches the “over 79%” share the company gave.
Where did the second quarter’s money go?
Our Q1 capex report put April to June at Rs 3,399 crore. Take that away and July to September works out to about Rs 4,567 crore, so spending sped up in the second quarter.
Plant and machinery did not keep up. It was Rs 819 crore in Q1 and Rs 1,394 crore for the half, which leaves roughly Rs 575 crore for Q2. Its share of spending fell from about 24% in Q1 to under 13% in Q2. Land went the other way, from Rs 804 crore to about Rs 1,229 crore. Coal India labelled its Q1 evacuation head a little differently, so treat the Q2 infrastructure comparison (about Rs 1,203 crore) as approximate.
What it means for buyers
Coal India is the biggest single buyer of mining machines in the country, but its own purchase line is thin this year. Rs 452 crore in six months is under 6% of total capex and about a third of the plant and machinery head. The rest of that head covers washeries and other equipment.
The heavier money is civil work. Sidings, coal handling plants, silos, weighbridges and land development are built by contractors with excavators, tippers, dozers, motor graders and compactors, plus cranes and batching plants for the structures. That is a job for contractors who own or hire mid-size earthmoving fleets. It is not a sign that big dumper and shovel tenders are coming.
Our take: the 27% headline reads well, but on these heads the half points to more mine-side contract work, not a buying spree by Coal India itself. Coal India still has about Rs 8,534 crore of its annual plan to spend in October to March. If the HEMM line is going to catch up, the second half is where it has to happen, and the dry-season production push (our September output report shows how much tonnage is still needed) gives it a reason to.
What to watch
- Whether HEMM spending moves past Rs 452 crore in the Q3 statement, due around late January.
- Siding, coal handling plant and haul-road packages from the subsidiaries, which is where the bigger heads are going.
- How much of the Rs 8,534 crore still to spend gets booked before March.
Bidding for mine-side civil or overburden work? Line up excavator, dozer and grader options on our mining equipment guide and check what each fleet would cost before you quote.
FAQ
How much did Coal India spend on capex in H1 FY27?
It spent Rs 7,966 crore between April and September 2026, up 27% from Rs 6,283 crore a year earlier and 109% of its Rs 7,286 crore half-year target.
How much of Coal India’s capex went to HEMM?
Only Rs 452 crore went on buying heavy earth moving machinery, inside a plant and machinery head of Rs 1,394 crore that also covers washeries and other equipment.
What is Coal India’s capex target for FY27?
The annual plan is Rs 16,500 crore. Just over 48% of it had been spent by the end of September, which leaves about Rs 8,534 crore for the second half.
Related on DesiMachines: Coal India Q1 capex: why machines took only a quarter
Source: PSU Watch
Machines, tenders and news for this industry: Mining
Excavator
294 models 
Backhoe Loader
51 models 
Crane
68 models 
Concrete Mixer
79 models 
Wheel Loader
54 models 
Compactor / Roller
45 models 
Motor Grader
42 models 
Concrete Pump
66 models 
Skid Steer Loader
11 models 
