New surface miner to boost coal despatch to NTPC Kaniha

To boost coal despatch to the beleaguered 3000 MW NTPC Kaniha plant which is reeling under acute coal crisis, the authorities of the NTPC-linked Lingaraj coal mines at the Talcher Coalfields have decided to procure a surface miner on outsourcing.

The surface miner, which is expected to start production from July this year, would scale up the daily output of power grade coal from 25,000 tonnes to 35,000 tonnes.

The 3000 MW NTPC Kaniha, the second largest power plant in the country, had slipped into the super-critical mode due to depleting coal stock. The power plant’s coal stock had dipped to an all-time low of 18,000-23,000 tonnes, thereby creating panic among the NTPC authorities.

 

According to NTPC officials, the average coal despatch per day from the Lingraj coal mines was 25,000 tonnes per day instead of 35000-40000 tonnes per day in the months of April and May this year.

The authorities of Lingaraj coal mines said that they made best efforts to supply coal to NTPC Kaniha but could not cope up with the demand to supply 35000 tonnes of crushed coal per day due to less coal production by the surface miners.

Keeping in view of the short supply of crushed coal, the mining authorities had now decided to outsource procurement of a new surface miner to scale up output of power grade coal.

Besides, the mining authorities were also going for procurement of their own surface miner for the Lingaraj coal mines, said an official.