In a major boost to its plans towards achieving 85 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) coal production by the end of 2022-23 from 64.4 MTPA in 2018-19, an expert committee of Ministry of Environment and Forests has issued terms of reference to the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd, as part of the process of pursuing environmental clearance to Naini coal block in Odisha.
The coal company has set itself an ambitious target of increasing the fossil-fuel production by over 20 million tonnes in the five-year period till the end of 2022-23 by taking up new mines, going for expansion and increasing the production in the existing ones. It also has plans to increase its power generation capacity to 2,500 MW from the existing 1,200 MW by that time.
“We are well aware that it is a long order considering the increase of only 14 million tonnes during the last 10 years – from 50.43 MTPA in 2009-10 to 64.4 MTPA in 2018-19. However, our hopes stem from the fact that the production has improved by about 10 million tonnes during the last five years – from 52.54 MTPA in 2014-15 to 64.4 MTPA in 2018-19,” a senior SCCL official told
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The SCCL has plans to take up coal mining in the area with 10 MTPA production and also set up a coal washery with 9 MTPA capacity by February 2021. It needs diversion of the forest land for non-forestry activity and get other necessary clearances and permissions by the end of March next year to keep up with the schedule.
The company has already launched its welfare activities in the affected villages by providing water tanker and arranging bore-wells.