MCL gets green nod for Rs 348 crore coal washery project in Odisha

The company has plans to set up total five coal washeries in the state and aims to contribute 250 million tonnes of coal

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Coal India arm MCL has received environment clearance for setting up a coal washery with 10 million tonnes per annum capacity in Talcher district of Odisha at a cost of Rs 348.75 crore.

Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) has proposed to set up a 'Jagannath washery' in an area of 29.94 hectare on Build Operate and Maintain (BOM) basis in Talcher.

The proposed washery with 10 million tonnes per annum capacity will have the linkage of coal from Bhubaneswari open cast mine.

"Based on the recommendations of the expert panel, the Environment Ministry has given green clearance to MCL for setting up of Jagannath washery in Odisha under the provisions of Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006," a senior government official said.

The clearance to the Rs 348.75 crore project has been given subject to certain conditions, the official added.

Coal washeries are beneficiation plants that separate mined coal from impurities such as sand and stones and in the process minimising ash content in it.

Among conditions specified, MCL has been asked to set up the washery according to the project report submitted to the committee. It has been told to transport raw coal through pipe-belt conveyor, and clean coal and rejected ones by rail with wagon loading through silo, the source said.

The company has been asked to utilise rejected coal in power generation through joint venture companies which have been set up with NTPC. The technology chosen should conform to 'Zero Liquid Discharge'.

MCL has plans to set up total five coal washeries in the state. It aims to contribute 250 million tonnes of coal to the one billion tonnes coal production target of CIL by 2020.