Team News Riveting
Raipur, January 26
South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) started the commercial production in Saraipali open cast coal mine located in Korba region of Chhattisgarh today to mark the Republic Day.
The mine has a capacity of 1.4 million tonne per annum (MTPA). It would facilitate SECL, the largest coal producing subsidiary of state-run Coal India Limited (CIL), to achieve the annual coal production target.
“The CIL has approved the project reports for the expansion of Dipka (40 MTPA) and Porda Chimtapani (10 MTPA) open cast mines,” SECL Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) A P Panda said while delivering speech after unfurling the National Tricolour at the Bilaspur based company headquarters. Both the projects are part of expansion and increasing production, he added.
Panda later visited Saraipali and inaugurated the new coal mine. The SECL had been uninterruptedly working to meet the coal demand of the country, he said, adding that the company had been successfully moving towards the coal production target set for the Year.
Stung by the COVID-19 induced lockdown in 2020 that severely impacted operation and businesses, SECL however, sought to bounce back; seeking to live up to its image of a flagship entity of the CIL. As on January 20, SECL achieved the milestone of producing 100 MT of coal, Panda said.
Apart from conventional coal production, SECL is also making strides in new technology. Panda said SECL was continuously moving forward in the fields of surface coal gasification, coalbed methane and solar energy. In Sohagpur area located in Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh, coal bed methane block has been identified.
