Page 12 - Coal

Measures being taken to boost coal production in next season: Centre

The power ministry has asked gencos to use imported coal to the extent of 6 per cent of their requirement

NTPC produces 14.55 MT coal from captive mines in Apr-Dec 2022

State-owned NTPC on Tuesday said its coal production increased 51 per cent year-on-year from its captive mines to 14.55 million tonne (MT) in April-December 2022. The power giant had produced 9.65 MT of coal from its captive coal mines in the year-ago period, NTPC said in a statement. "Coal mining division of NTPC is maintaining its growth trajectory. NTPC surpassed its earlier record with coal production of 14.55 MT till December 2022 in this fiscal compared with 9.65 MT in the same period of the previous year," it added. The four operational coal mines -- Pakri-Barwadih (Jharkhand), Chatti-Bariatu (Jharkhand), Dulanga (Odisha) and Talaipalli (Chhattisgarh) -- have contributed to accomplish the highest-ever monthly coal production of 22.83 lakh tonnes in December 2022. In the third quarter, NTPC produced 5.79 MT of coal and dispatched 5.42 MT to its power plants. NTPC, under the Ministry of Power, is India's largest power-generating company.

MCL supplied 143.4 million tonnes of coal till Dec this current fiscal: CIL

State-owned CIL on Tuesday said that its arm MCL supplied 143.4 million tonnes of coal till December in the current fiscal, the highest among all the subsidiaries of the coal behemoth. Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd's (MCL) supplies accounted for 28.2 per cent of the total off-take of 507.8 million tonnes from Coal India Ltd (CIL). "MCL's growth curve has been phenomenal in FY23 in terms of production and supplies, the highest among all our subsidiaries," a senior executive of CIL was quoted as saying in a statement and added "this helped us in pushing up our overall output and off-take". MCL's coal off-take peaked to 146.12 million tonnes (MTs) on January 5, overtaking the total supplies that the company registered for full year of FY21. This achievement was attained 85 days before the current financial year comes to an end. MCL's supplies ending FY21 were 146 MTs. Against the contracted quantity of 81.5 MT to its customers in the power sector, the actual supply from MCL was 102.7 MT t

Looming crisis: As power demand hits a peak, gencos told to import coal

Domestic coal supply to be regulated for those not adhering to the directive

Coal dispatch to different sectors rises 5% to 78.91 MT in December 2022

The dispatch of coal to different sectors was at 78.91 million tonnes (MT) in December, registering a rise of 5.28 per cent. The coal dispatch in the corresponding month of previous fiscal was 74.95 MT. "During Dec 2022, CIL (Coal India), SCCL (Singareni Collieries Company Ltd) and captive mines/others registered a growth of 3.57 per cent, 17.89 per cent and 8.85 per cent by despatching 62.72 MT, 6.72 MT and 9.46 MT (of coal) respectively," as per the provisional figures of coal ministry. The dispatch of coal to the power sector increased by 4.26 per cent to 65.65 MT during the last month. The country's total coal production increased by 10.81 per cent to 82.87 MT from 74.79 MT during the last month as compared to the year-ago period. CIL registered a growth of 10.30 per cent, whereas SCCL and captive mines/ others attained a growth of 19.12 per cent and 9.01 per cent, respectively. While 28 coal mines produced more than 100 per cent, four mines' production level stood between 80

Coal production rises by 9% in December 2022 to 82.87 MT: Govt data

Power utilities despatch also increased by 4.26 per cent to 65.65 million tonnes during December 2022

Elevated coal price a drag on margins of domestic base metal players: Icra

The increased price of coal continue to be a drag on the margin of domestic base metal players with no immediate relief in sight, rating agency ICRA said on Thursday. In a recent note on the primary base metal industry, ICRA said that the earnings of the industry would continue to remain under pressure in the second half of the current fiscal, following a dull performance in the first half of FY'23. "Elevated coal costs along with metal price corrections remain the key headwinds affecting the margins, with no immediate relief in sight," ICRA said in a statement. On account of input cost pressures, the rating agency said it has revised its estimates of operating profitability of domestic players downward to 18 per cent in the current fiscal. ICRA's operating profitability forecast for domestic players is almost 3 percentage points lower compared to its earlier forecast made in September last year and 10 percentage points lower compared to FY'22. "In FY2024, while some respite is ..

Coal ministry to take up additional 19 first mile connectivity projects

The Centre on Monday said an additional 19 first mile connectivity projects of state-owned CIL and SCCL will be implemented by 2026-27. First mile connectivity refers to the transportation of coal from pitheads to dispatch points. "The Ministry of Coal will be taking up additional 19 First Mile Connectivity (FMC) projects for Coal India Ltd (CIL) and Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) with a capacity of 330 million tonnes (MT) and these projects will be implemented by FY26-27," the ministry said in a statement. The ministry has already undertaken 55 first mile connectivity projects worth Rs 18,000 crore. Out these 55 projects, eight having a capacity of 95.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) have been commissioned and the remaining will be commissioned by FY25. To ensure efficient and environment-friendly coal evacuation, the government is working on the development of the National Coal Logistic Plan, including first mile connectivity through railway sidings near coal mines and

Coal Minister inaugurates Rs 300 crore Angul-Balram rail line in Odisha

Evacuation of coal from Talcher coalfields in Odisha's Angul district is set to get a boost with the inauguration of the Rs 300-crore Angul-Balram rail link on Thursday. The project, inaugurated by Union Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi, in the presence of his cabinet colleagues Dharmendra Pradhan and Ashwini Vaishnaw, is likely to enable Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) to increase its daily dispatch of coal by around 40,000 tonne. The project was constructed by Mahanadi Coal Railway Ltd, a joint venture entity of MCL, IRCON International Ltd and IDCO, an industrial infrastructure development agency of the Odisha government, an official statement said. The 14-km-long Angul-Balram rail link is the first phase of a total 68-km inner corridor connecting Angul with Putugadia, Jarapada and Tentuloi, which will cater to coal mines of Talcher coalfields. The inner corridor is being implemented by MCRL in two phases. In phase two, the Balram-Putugadia-Jarapada-Tentuloi rail link would

Use of unapproved fuels, coal in NCR industries will shut down post-Jan 1

The Centre's air quality panel on Wednesday said industries using unapproved fuels, including coal, in Delhi-NCR will be closed down straightaway from January 1 and heavy fines will be imposed on them. However, the use of low-sulphur coal in thermal power plants is allowed, it said. "Pollution control authorities have been directed to close down industries and commercial establishments using unapproved fuels, including coal, without giving them any show cause notice. "Maximum environmental compensation will be levied on them according to the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Boards," an official of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said. The use of low-sulphur coal is also allowed in captive thermal power plants, the official clarified, saying "it could be used wherever the primary purpose is power generation". Firewood and biomass briquettes can be used for religious purposes and cremation, wood or bamboo charcoal can be used for tandoors and grills of ..

Coal consumers body seeks renewal of rake-based supply to non-power sector

The Coal Consumers Association of India (CCAI) has made a plea to the government to resume rake-based supplies to the non-power sector in a bid to maintain cost competitiveness and sustain operations. Despite Coal India's production and despatches improving considerably this year, the supply of dry fuel to the non-power sector continues to languish below optimal levels amidst spiralling costs. This situation has led to the non-power sector relying on road-based supplies, in turn leading to soaring costs for its constituent industries. Converting rail quantities to road offtake often attracts higher premiums than those already paid to Coal India Ltd (CIL) for rake-based supplies, CCAI said. "...converting rail quantity to road offtake may often lead to a higher premium for coal which may be more than the premium paid to CIL for supply via rail mode. This is invariably adding the additional burden of cost on the NRS (non-regulated sector) consumers on top of the higher transportation

2023 could be another strong yr for coal as demand may reach record levels

Coal India, companies with captive coal mines in steel, power and other sectors will be at an advantage

NTPC ropes in GE Power India to carry R&D to reduce carbon emissions

NTPC Ltd on Thursday said it has inked an agreement with GE Power India Limited to reduce carbon emission from its coal-fired units. This agreement aims at partnering on research, development and engineering of technologies that will enable NTPC to reduce the amount of coal fired at units and gradually replace it by co-firing of carboneous and non-carboneous elements, the power giant said in a statement. Carboneous elements include methanol, carbon-neutral fuel, agri-waste, biomass, while non-carboneous elements are like ammonia. "NTPC Limited and GE Power India Limited sign MoU to reduce carbon intensity from NTPC's coal fired units. This is a first-of-a-kind step for coal fleet decarbonisation in the country," the statement said. The collaboration is to support NTPC in co-firing biomass pellets up to 100 per cent gradually as well as enabling the co-firing of methanol. Ujjwal Kanti Bhattacharya, Director Projects, NTPC Limited, said: "We are looking forward to working with GE Po

5.86 GW coal, lignite based thermal projects non-operational: Power Min

Projects of 5.86 GW out of the total 210.6 GW coal and lignite based thermal power generation capacities in the country are non-operational, Parliament was informed on Thursday. "Out of 210.6 GW (coal and lignite based) monitored capacity of thermal power plants, 5.86 GW capacity is non-operational due to various reasons such as no Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), under National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) etc," Power Minister R K Singh said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. The minster also told the House that out of 5.86 GW (gigawatt) non-operational plants, one plant namely Bela Thermal Power Station (270 MW) was revived on October 2, 2022. In another reply to the House, Singh said the weighted average rate of sale of power came down to Rs 3.40 per unit in 2020-21 from Rs 3.95 in 2019-20 and Rs 3.65 per unit in 2018-19. Similarly, the average price of hydro power came down to Rs 2.64 per unit in 2020-21 from Rs 2.71 in 2019-20 and Rs 2.64 per unit in 2018-19. The average price of

Germany returns to coal as energy crisis overpowers climate targets

Europe's largest economy is burning the fossil fuel for electricity at the fastest pace in at least six years

Power demand to fall in H2, gencos' receivables to go up: Fitch Ratings

The LPS Rules regulate access to power in case of non-payment of dues by discoms to gencos

Tata Steel clears path for environment-friendly coke plant at Jamshedpur

Completes controlled demolition of obsolete facilities

Trends show coal is here to stay despite India's renewable energy goals

Coal is dirty -- it makes up for 40 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, its mining wreaks havoc on the environment and burning it produces pollutants like mercury which are linked to acid rain and particulate matter that causes respiratory illnesses. But the war in Ukraine has caused a mini-energy crisis globally, pushing its use to record levels this year. And India, the world's third largest energy consumer, was at the forefront of the global rise in coal usage as it fell back on the easiest available fossil fuel in the face of a surge in oil and gas prices that threatened to derail the economic recovery from the pandemic. The trends of coal consumption and production this year indicate that the dirty fuel is here to stay despite the nation's ambitious target of meeting 50 per cent of energy requirements from renewable energy and non-fossil fuel capacity of 500 GW by 2030. India's coal consumption has doubled since 2007 at an annual growth rate of 6 per cent an

World's coal use creeps to new high in 2022 amid increasing demand: Report

Coal use across the world is set to reach a new record this year amid persistently high demand for the heavily polluting fossil fuel, the International Energy Agency said on Friday. The Paris-based agency said in a new report that while coal use grew by only 1.2 per cent in 2022, the increase pushed it to all all-time high of more than 8 billion metric tons, beating the previous record set in 2013. The world's coal consumption will remain at similar levels in the following years in the absence of stronger efforts to accelerate the transition to clean energy, the agency said, noting that robust demand in emerging Asian economies would offset declining use in mature markets. This means coal will continue to be the global energy system's largest single source of carbon dioxide emissions by far, the IAE said. The use of coal and other fossil fuels needs to be drastically cut to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) this century. Experts say the ambitious .

Germany ramps up power generation from coal amid energy crisis: Report

More than a third of electricity produced and fed into the grid in Germany in the third quarter of 2022 was generated by coal-fired power plants, according to a report based on provisional results