HYDERABAD: The Prakasam Khani Open Cast (PKOC) dip side coal block has been allocated to the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy announced this on Monday and described the development as a significant achievement for the coal producer and Telangana.
Addressing the media in New Delhi, the Union minister congratulated the Singareni employees, their families, trade union representatives, company officials and the people of Telangana. “The auction process for the block was completed on Monday, following which the Manuguru PKOC-2 dip side block was allocated to Singareni,” he said.
“After Singareni secured the Naini coal block in Odisha as well as the Tadicherla 2 block, workers and trade union leaders requested me to ensure that the PKOC-2 dip side block was also allotted to SCCL,” he said, adding that he took it as personal responsibility to ensure that the block was awarded to Singareni.
Kishan also said that apart from his official role, he made special efforts as a son of Telangana soil who is committed to the welfare, growth and future of Singareni and its workforce. He expressed delight that his efforts have contributed to Singareni’s success.
He noted that SCCL, the only coal-producing company in south India, would gain access to an estimated 180 million tonnes of coal reserves through this block. “This mine is expected to operate for close to 25 years, producing around six million tonnes of coal annually. The project is expected to generate around 2,000 jobs,” he explained.
Highlighting the economic benefits that the mine will bring to Telangana, Kishan said that the availability of high-quality G-8 grade coal from the block is expected to generate more than Rs 43,000 crore in revenue. He added that the state government would receive more than Rs 10,500 crore in income from the project, while overall benefits to the state government are estimated to exceed `48,000 crore.
The allocation of this mine would strengthen Telangana’s energy security, provide critical resources for Singareni’s future expansion and benefit the state government, SCCL, the power sector and thousands of employees.