NEW DELHI: State-owned Coal India Limited is planning to invest Rs 24,750 Crores in the next few years for the 61 First Mile Connectivity (FMC) projects to boost eco-friendly coal transportation.
The company said the project will come in three phases and will have a combined capacity of 763.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) when completed.
“It is essential that coal transportation is environment friendly to improve the quality of life of people living in the proximity of coalfield. FMC projects offer benefits like suppression of dust pollution and carbon emissions. They also reduce the load on road transportation leading to safety. Other benefits include precise quantity and quality coal is loaded for consumers with minimal manual intervention” said a senior CIL official.
FMC projects involve the transportation of coal in mechanised piped conveyors from the production point to handling plants/silos with a rapid loading system where coal is loaded directly into rail wagons. The company said about 35 FMC projects under the first phase having 414.5 MTPA capacity account for Rs 10,750 crore. Out of them, eight projects of 112 MTPA capacity are operational. CIL is gearing up to commission 17 more projects.