WCL to augment coal despatches from mines

In order to give a boost to coal despatches for its consumers, Western Coalfields Limited will be augmenting and maximising coal despatches from WCL mines through rail, road and other modes.

WCL will be leveraging the "RailCoal Synergy" by observing RailCoal Week from January 1-7, 2019, it stated in a release.

"This will be a component of 'Coal Dispatch Fortnight' to be observed from January 1-15, 2019," it said.

The Rail-Coal Week is being organised for the first time in any subsidiary of Coal India, the release said, adding that it will help increase coal stocks in different linked power houses of WCL.

It further stated that major portion of railway rakes of WCL is despatched through Central Railway (CR) followed by South East Central Railway and South Central Railway.

WCL has been given a target to dispatch 28-29 rakes per day which is already being achieved. Now, the company is aiming to despatch 32 rakes and more, in a synergy by joining hands with three railway zones, it said.

Detailed discussions with senior officials, especially Central Railway at Headquarters, Area and Siding level, have already been done and Central Railway alone has assured to help WCL to load 28-29 rakes per day, out of 32 rakes planned from January 1, 2019.

Similarly, Rail-Coal Synergy has already helped WCL by successful commissioning of Crossing Stations at Umrer Area, and similar facility at Wani Area.

This was a joint effort duly funded by WCL and successfully implemented and commissioned by CR, it stated. With commissioning of new facilities in both the areas the number of rakes to be despatched from WCL from Umrer and Ghugus Sidings have substantially increased from 4-5 rakes to 7-8 rakes, and now it is being planned to touch 9-10 rakes from both the Sidings, which is helping in loading 32 rakes and beyond during Rail-Coal Week.

Similar exercise has also been done in consultation with South East Central Railway (SECR) through which three rakes on an average are being dispatched and South Central Railway (SCR) dispatches one rake per day, it said.

Contribution of dispatches through Rail mode in total dispatch of coal is above 60 per cent in WCL, rest despatches are covered by Road mode, MGR, Belt and Ropeway.

During Coal Dispatch Fortnight, the company has made a plan to increase despatches from the current rate of 1.70 lakh tonnes per day to over 2.0 lakh tonnes per day.

This will include 1.25 lakh tonnes per day by Rail mode and 75-80,000 tonnes per day by other modes.

WCL supplies coal to state power houses in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, Karnatka, Haryana and to other private power producers also through Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA), linkages and auctions.

Higher coal despatch by WCL through different modes, during the months of November and December this year, have helped in increasing the coal stocks at Thermal Power Station end.

Besides, WCL has also started special auctions for power producers and spot auctions for other consumers from November onwards.

All these factors shall help the company in not only achieving its target of dispatches of 59.76 million tonnes fixed for the current year, but also to surpass it by a comfortable margin, the release said.