Aiming toward sustainable mining & creation of ‘Wealth from Waste’
Team News Riveting
Bhopal, January 10
Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), the Miniratna coal-producing company of the Government of
India is all set to start the production of ‘M-Sand’-the core material used in construction in civil works in its Amlohri Project.
The initiative is a part to promote sustainable practices under the mentorship of the Ministry of Coal for maximizing the utilization of natural resources and minimizing the adverse impact of mining.
Eyeing on business diversification while focusing on the ecological balance, the company has set
up a Sand manufacturing plant using its Over Burden (OB) as raw material.
This pro-environment initiative of the company will assist to conserve the river bed erosion and
preserve aquatic ecosystems. Recently NCL has secured Consent to operate (CTO) which paves the
path towards commercial production and auction of M-Sand which is likely to begin next month.
A whopping 410 Million Cubic Meters of Over Burden (OB) is required to be removed to extract
the coal below.
The material above the coal seam (layer) is known as Overburden (OB).This huge
quantity is roughly 4 times the amount of coal to be extracted. NCL is a coal mining giant that
produces over 122 Million Tonnes of coal annually from its 10 open-pit mines. The Huge quantity
of so removed Over Burden (OB) occupies a large space and is a waste material.
The groundbreaking step is a win-win situation for the company, government, and local
stakeholders. NCL will produce about 3 Lakh Cubic Meters of M-Sand annually and will be using
1429 Cubic Meters Over Burden each day to make 1000 Cubic Meters of Sand Per Day. The ‘M-
Sand’ produced will be e-auctioned at a much cheaper base price and of superior or par quality
compared to the presently available sand in the market.
While emphasizing on sustainable mining, CMD NCL Shri Bhola Singh said that the sand-making
plant along with gainful utilization of Over Burden in a sustained way will also generate local employment and additional revenue for the governments. Calling this initiative a contribution from NCL in the ‘Waste to Wealth’ mission guided by the Prime Minister Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC), he reiterated the company’s unwavering commitment towards fulfilling the energy needs of the nation while promoting Research and Development in the coal sector.
After the successful commencement of this plant, the company is also mulling to establish more
such innovative Over Burden to M-Sand making units in its different production projects. In the
backdrop of NCL’s topsoil having good composition of silica, the possibility is also being explored
for making Solar Panels, Glass, GRP Pipes, and other materials.
NCL is one of the flagship subsidiaries of Coal India Limited, known for its 10 Highly Mechanized
mines and its pivotal role in catering to the power sector. The company is located in the Singrauli
and Sonbhadra districts of MP and UP states respectively and has been entrusted with the Coal
Production and dispatch targets of 122 Million Tonnes in the current fiscal 2022-23.
