Ib Valley Coalfield
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| Location | |
|---|---|
  Ib Valley Coalfield Location in Odisha  Ib Valley Coalfield Ib Valley Coalfield (India) | |
| State | Odisha |
| Country | India |
| Coordinates | 21°51′N 83°56′E / 21.850°N 83.933°E |
| Owner | |
| Company | Mahanadi Coalfields Limited |
| Website | https://www.mahanadicoal.in/ |
| Year of acquisition | 1992 |
Ib Valley Coalfield is located in Jharsuguda district in the Indian state of Odisha, in the valley of the Ib River, a tributary of the Mahanadi. ′
In 1900, when Bengal Nagpur Railway was building a bridge across the Ib River, coal was accidentally discovered. The first coalmine in the Ib Valley Coalfield was established by Himgir Rampur Coal Company in 1909. Other underground collieries were opened by private operators till nationalization of the coal industry in 1973, when it was placed under Western Coalfields Limited. In 1986, it came under South Eastern Coalfields Limited and in 1992 under Mahanadi Coalfields Limited. With nationalization came the age of open cast mines. Ib Valley Coalfield operates three major open cast mines – Lajkura Opencast Mine, Samleswari Opencast Mine and Lilari Opencast Mine. Production of the field has risen sharply from 0.55 million tonnes in 1972–73 to 15.51 million tonnes in 2002–2003.[1][2][3]