Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) has taken up a baseline survey in 120 villages to identify basic needs and maximise its contribution for their sustainable development, as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The ‘navaratna’ public sector undertaking, which has been implementing ‘peripheral development scheme’ to provide infrastructure facilities in villages within a radius of eight kilometres from the NLC township, has identified Alampadi Mettur panchayat in Lalgudi taluk of Tiruchi district as one of the 120 villages for implementing a CSR activity.
Alampatti Mettur has been identified by NLC as the first village outside of Cuddalore district for implementation of CSR project, its Chairman and Managing Director B.Surender Mohan said on Wednesday after laying the foundation stone for an Rs.15 lakh dining hall for an existing community centre.
Exuding hope that the new building will be maintained well by 26 women self-help-groups in the village, the NLC Chairman initiated the project in the presence of former president of Pullambadi Panchayat Union and Member, Regional Coal Committee, N.Jayaprakash, and senior NLC officials.
The NLC now has a mining capacity of 30.6 million tonnes from the three mines in Neyveli and one in Barsingsar in Rajasthan, he informed, adding that the company generates 2,740 MW from the three power stations in Neyveli and one in Rajasthan.
The NLC was poised for a rapid growth in mining and power generation for supplying reliable power, a pre-requisite for industrial development and GDP growth, Mr.Surender Mohan said. Later, in a brief interaction with the media, Mr.Surender Mohan said that the NLC will again commission its BHEL-supplied 250 MW CFB (Circulating Fluidised Bed) boiler during June. In less than a month after the recent commissioning of the plant, the output decreased to 100 MW, before going through a breakdown. The BHEL, with technology support from Lentjes, Germany, is expected to fix the problem in the design by setting right the fluidised bed heat exchange system in the next few months. “The 250 MW plant will be commissioned again probably by June and the subsequent plant in the next three months,” he said.
The NLC was well on course to expanding its generation capacity to 10,000 MW in the next 10 years, by starting new plants at Ghatampur in Uttar Pradesh and Sirkazhi in Tamil Nadu.
For the 3 x 660 power project in Uttar Pradesh, the NLC has alr
eady paid an advance of Rs.140 crore for land. The proposal has been approved by the Public Investment Board and packages will be ordered within six months of receiving sanction order from the Central Government.
For Sirkazhi plant, the NLC has received PBI (Project Based Inquiry) from the State Government and there was no problem in land acquisition. The NLC will soon apply for coal for Sirkazhi and Tuticorin projects, he said.
