Coal India to float global tenders for washeries

State-run Coal India will float global tenders for setting up washeries, 18 of which have already been identified, with an expected expenditure of around Rs 1,500 crore.

"Eighteen washeries will come up in CIL's five subsidiaries and together they will have a total capacity of around 98 million tonne," company sources told PTI here.

A model bid document has already been prepared and individual subsidiary companies where the washeries would come up would customise the document as per washability criteria, coal linkage and ash percentage, the sources said.

Earlier, CIL Chairman Partha S Bhattacharyya had said that the company has identified 18 washeries in the first phase.

The sources said that of the 18, initially tenders would be floated for seven washeries by the year-end. The washeries would be built on build-own-and-maintenance basis where CIL subsidiaries would provide land, necessary infrastructure and fund.

Of the proposed 18 washeries, six would come up at Bharat Coking Coal Ltd, four each would be set up at Central Coalfields and Mahanadi Coalfields while, two each would come at Eastern Coalfields and South Eastern Coalfield.

All the washeries were likely to come up by 2011-12.

The subsidiary companies have sought clearance from the Forest and Environment Ministry since some of the washeries would require forest land, sources said, adding that work would be first taken up for those washeries which were free from any problem of land.

Last week, CIL had invited expression of interest (EoI) for developing 18 abandoned mines with total reserve capacity of over 800 million tonne.