According to a report in the Bloomberg Quint, Coal India Ltd. has introduced measures to boost production and supply of the solid fuel across the country to bridge demand and supply gaps.
The government will focus on increasing production through allocation of more coal blocks, Union Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
The gap between demand and domestic supply of coal, the statement said, cannot entirely be bridged as there are insufficient reserves of prime coking coal in the country.
Electricity producers, Bloomberg reported earlier this week, complained to the Power Ministry about the increasing instances of rocks and mud being found mixed in the coal supplied to them.
Despite challenges relating to the shortage of high-grade coal, Coal India, the statement said, has taken the following measures to ensure adequate supply:
Implementing ongoing projects in a time-bound manner to achieve targeted production as per schedule.
15 greenfield projects identified with annual capacity of about 160 million tonnes to be operated by mine developer-cum-operator mode.
Manual loading method eliminated in all underground mines of Coal India, barring one by Central Coalfields Ltd., by introducing side discharge loader or load haul dump loading in conjunction with belt conveyors.
Introduction of surface miners in opencast mines to improve operational efficiency and cater to environmental needs.
Introduction of mass production technology in underground coal mines.
Coal India also hopes that a provision, announced on Aug. 28, 2019, allowing 100% foreign direct investment in commercial mining will help boost production and supply of the solid fuel, the report said.
