NLC gets coal mines to meet fuel requirements of power projs

State-owned Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd (NLC) today said that it has been alloted coal mines in Odisha to meet the fuel requirements for the power projects of its subsidiary companies.
"Ministry of Coal... Has conveyed the allotment of Talabira-II & III Coal Mines in the state of Odisha to NLC by the Competent Authority in order to meet the coal requirements for the power projects of the Subsidiary companies viz., NLC Tamilnadu Power Ltd (5 MTPA), Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power Limited (10 MTPA) and Sirkali Power Project (20 MTPA)," NLC said in a BSE filing.
The development follows allotment of a coal mine in Jharkhand to NLC, which had asked the government to allot more mines to it in view of its expansion plans.

Earlier, NLC Chairman and Managing Director Sarat Kumar Acharya had said the company had been "allotted a coal block in Jharkhand" and they had requested the coal ministry to allot more blocks, which would fuel their "capacity addition in coal-based generation".
NLC plans to have 19,000 megawatt (MW) capacity by 2025 and projects to generate 6,000 MW from coal and 2,500 MW from lignite were already underway, he had said.
When asked about allotment of mines in Odisha, the official said the blocks have been alloted in accordance with the relevant rules.
NLC had earlier said the company was not limited to lignite mining and lignite-based power generation in Neyveli complex. It has diversified into coal-based power generation, renewable energy and coal mining.

Last year, the company commissioned its first 10 MW solar energy project at Neyveli.