Coal is the most abundantly available fossil fuel in India. It provides a substantial part of the nation’s energy requirement. India has vast and rich reserves of coal, distributed in different regions of India. The Peninsular Plateau region, especially the Damodar Valley Region of Jharkhand and West Bengal, the Son, Mahanadi, Godavari and Wardha Valleys of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,Orissa, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have rich deposits of Gondwana coal. In the north-eastern states of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, tertiary coal is found. In Tamil Nadu, lignite deposits are found. The three major forms of coal are anthracite, bituminous and lignite. Anthracite is the highest quality coal with more than 80 percent carbon content and very low moisture content. It is hard, compact and deep-black in colour. It is found in the Jharia coalfields of Jharkhand in small quantities. Bituminous is the most widely used coal. High grade bituminous coal is used in metallurgical industries, especially for melting iron in blast furnaces. So it is also known as metallurgical coal. Bituminous coal contains 60 to 80 percent carbon, low moisture, and has high heating capacity. It is formed when coal has been burried deep and subjected to increased temperatures. It is found in large quantities in Jharia coalfield of Jharkhand and Raniganj coalfields of West Bengal. Lignite contains about 60 percent carbon and has high moisture content. It is low grade brown coal which is soft and has low heating capacity. It is used in thermal power stations. Principal reserves are found in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu.