The Neyveli Lignite Corporation has overhauled a 27-year-old bucket wheel excavator deployed in Mine-I at a cost of ₹49.24 crore.
NLC Chairman-cum-Managing Director Sarat Kumar Acharya inaugurated the rejuvenated giant machinery at the specialised mining equipment erection yard on the Mine-I premises here on Friday.
A statement from the NLC said the equipment, supplied by the erstwhile Krupp Germany, was first commissioned on December 21, 1990. So far, it had logged 1,31,027 working hours in excavation of overburden (layer of soil covering lignite deposit).
The reconditioning of the heavy machinery was done in the Specialised Mining Equipment Yard of the NLC. During the overhaul, major repair, replacements, reconditioning and modifications were carried out.
The dismantling, re-conditioning, and re-erection of the BWE was completed within nine months and 23 days against the scheduled period of 13 months.
The re-jigged machinery was rededicated by NLC Chairman-cum-Managing Director Sarat Kumar Acharya in the presence of NLC Directors Rakesh Kumar, Subir Das, P. Selvakumar and R. Vikaraman. Senior officials, employees, representatives of trade unions, and associations participated.
