CIL invites pvt sector participation in coal washery upgrade

New Delhi, July 14 (UNI) Aimed at improving the performance of ageing washeries, public sector Coal India Ltd (CIL) is facilitating the private sector in setting up new washeries by providing required infrastructural facilities in coalfields.

Initiating steps to improve capacity utilisation of the washeries, CIL has stressed on increasing raw coal feed, augmenting coking coal production from the linked mines and expediting modernisation.

Of the total coking coal washery capacity in the country of 31 million tonnes per year (mty), CIL's share -- at 20 mty -- is almost two-thirds of the existing capacity. Of about 90 mty of existing non-coking coal washery facility, its share is only 20 mty.

In recent years, capacity utilisation of CIL's coking coal washeries has been adversely affected due to poor quality of raw coking coal feed resulting in low yield, ageing of washeries and resource problems in modernising the existing washeries in time.

These washeries were initially designed to use good quality coking coal. Due to the initiatives taken by CIL, non-coking coal washeries have substantially increased their capacity utilisation whereas coking coal washeries capacity utilisation has improved marginally.

UNI SD CS VV1447