NLC India started production of coal at its mine in Odisha on Sunday, the company said.
"NLC India Ltd''s Talabira-II and III Opencast Coal Mine in Odisha having normative capacity of 20MTPA commenced coal production on Sunday," the Tamil Nadu-based company said.
"This marks the entry of NLC India Ltd into the coal mining sector in Odisha," it said.
The company said it would invest more than Rs 17,000 crore for its thermal power projects last year and embarked on a program of afforestation inside and outside Odisha 's coal mining area.
The Navaratna company said it would fuel its 4,200 MW thermal power projects in that state by producing 20 million tons of coal annually from Talabira II and III coal blocks.
The company was closely working with the Odisha Forest department to make the unit a ''model coal mine'' by planting more trees than mandated, under relevant policies, the company had said.
