By Our Correspondent /Agencies
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) Chairman Naveen Jindal has hailed Union Coal Ministry‘s move to launch auction process for 41 coal blocks for commercial mining including 9 from Odisha, said the reforms will help make the domestic steel and mines sector more competitive resulting in the creation of employment.
“I thank PM Narendra Modi for taking the coal sector out of decades of lockdown. These reforms will make the sector more competitive and generate large-scale employment,” Naveen Jindal said. The PM’s announcement to gasify 100 million tonnes (MT) of coal by 2030 will be a big boost to coal gasification in India and fulfil vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ using clean coal technology, JSPL Chairman added. JSPL Chairman Jindal further said, “JSPL is the first company in India to build coal gasification plant and the first in the world to produce direct reduced iron (DRI)/steel using swadeshi coal.”
JSPL Managing Director V R Sharman had earlier said India has coal reserves for another 300 years and the time is ripe to use the reserve.Coal can be converted into syngas (synthetic gas), which can be used for producing petrol, diesel and other petroleum products, that can reduce dependence on crude oil imports, he said.JSPL is already using the technology at its Angul plant in Odisha. It is India’s first and only plant producing steel from swadeshi coal using the coal gasification technology.
The auction of 41 blocks for commercial mining is expected to garner Rs 33,000 crore of capital investment in the country over the next 5-7 years.India has one of the largest reserves of coal in the world, he said adding that its gasification can help our country overcome the perennial shortage of oil, gas, methanol, ammonia and urea, and help reduce imports.
Out of the total 41, 9 Coal Mines Blocks put for Auction in Odisha. The mines are Chendipada I, Chendipada II, Machhakata, Mahanadi, Radhikapur (East), Radhikapur (West), Brahmanbil & Kardabahal, Kuraloi (A) North, and Phuljhari (East & West).
Chendipada-II (Category III) status explored under Talcher Coalfield of Chendipada in Angul was earlier allocate to Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidut Utpadan Limited,Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Limited, Maharashtra State Power Generation Corporation Ltd.
Mahanadi (Category III) status explored under Talcher Coalfield of Chendipada in Angul was earlier allocate to Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited, Maharashtra State Electricity Board.
Radhikapur (East, Category III) (Including Utkal F) Coal Block)(Category III) status explored under Talcher Coalfield of Chendipada in Angul was earlier allocate to TATA Sponge Iron Limited.
Radhikapur (West) (Category III) status explored under Talcher Coalfield of Chendipada in Angul was earlier allocate to M/s Rungta Muines Ltd, M/s OCL, India Ltd, M/s Ocean Ispat Pvt.
Chhendipada-I Block (Category III) status explored under Talcher Coalfield of Chendipada in Angul was earlier allocate to Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidut Utpadan Limited,Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Limited, Maharashtra State Power Generation Corporation Ltd.
Machhakata Block (Category III) status explored under Talcher Coalfield of Chendipada in Angul was earlier allocate to Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited,Maharashtra State Electricity Board.
In all 41 mines with total geological coal reserve of 17 billion tonne is on offer under the first phase of commercial coal mine auctions. These include both large and small mines with peak rated capacities (PRC) ranging from 0.5 to 40 million tonne per annum (mtpa) of coal. The cumulative PRC of all mines is 225 mtpa.
