Singareni plans to scale up coal mining after slump in production in first seven months of 2024-25

Singareni Collieries aims to boost coal production to meet targets despite challenges, with plans for increased daily output.

HYDERABAD

Notwithstanding plans of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) management to mine/ extract and dispatch 2.4 lakh tonnes of coal daily for the remaining 151 days this financial year from November 1, the target of achieving 72 million tonnes of coal production appears to be a tall order considering the performance so far.

According to Singareni officials, the company had achieved coal production of 33.84 million tonnes against the target of 36.99 million tonnes in the first seven months of 2024-25 and dispatches of 34.71 million tonnes against the target of 37.61 million tonnes. Both the production and dispatches account for about 92% of the target.

“Heavy rains during the July-September period have impacted coal production badly due to waterlogging in the opencast and underground mines, and we plan to make up for the production loss in the remaining five months by scaling up both production and dispatches, possibly over 2.5 million tonnes a day on every possible day by utilising human resources and the machinery at disposal at optimum level,” a senior official of Singareni said.

The coal production and dispatches of coal in the first seven months of this financial year have been comparatively lower in each of the first seven months during the last financial year. From April to October, the production and dispatches of coal have been less than what was achieved in 2023-24.

Against production of 37.11 million tonnes and dispatches of 38.76 million tonnes in the first seven months of 2023-24, they are less by 8.79% (33.84 MT) and 10.45% (34.71 MT), respectively, in 2024-25. At the rate of planned production and dispatches of 2.4 lakh tonnes of coal every day from November 1 this year (36.24 MT), the production achievable is little over 70 MT against the target of 72 MT for 2024-25.

The silver lining, however, could be the commencement of production in the Naini block in Odisha. Chairman and Managing Director of SCCL N. Balaram told the executives to complete establishment of coal bunkers, power sub-station, generator and other infrastructure for transportation of coal mines possibly from January next after completion of tree removal from the 130 acres of forest land there.