BHUBANESWAR/ANGUL: Amid complaints of acute coal shortage that has threatened to disrupt power generation and affect industries in the country, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), one of India’s major coal producing companies, on Sunday achieved the highest ever coal dispatch of 5.47 lakh tonne breaking its own record of 5.45 lakh tonne within a fortnight.
A subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), MCL dispatched the highest ever 103 rakes of coal with 65 rakes coming from Talcher coalfields in Angul district and 38 supplied from Ib Valley coalfields of Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts.
Out of the total 5.45 lakh tonne, 4.15 lakh tonne was sent to the power sector accounting for 76.1 percent of total dispatch. MCL achieved the milestone by transporting 3.66 lakh tonne through rail, 1.45 lakh tonne through road and 0.34 lakh tonne through Merry Go Round (MGR) system.
Chairman-cum-Managing Director PK Sinha lauded the MCL team for its consistent and coordinated approach to maximise coal supply which resulted in an average dispatch of 5.17 lakh tonne per day for the month of October.
“It’s your determination and hard work that has made the unachievable achievable. Coal Indians in MCL have always remained at the forefront to face the challenges and achieved newer milestones in the pursuit of energy security to the nation,” the CMD said.
Asserting that MCL has sufficient coal stock, Sinha said production, dispatch and overburden (OB) removal have registered a growth of 26.5 per cent, 34.3 per cent and 71.7 per cent respectively in October against the same period during the last financial year. Recording an impressive double-digit growth during the current fiscal, MCL has produced 78.5 million tonne coal, posting a growth of 12.16 per cent while dispatching 89.65 million tonne dry fuel to consumers against 74.33 million tonne supplied during the same period last year. MCL produced 148 million tonne in 2020-21 and has set a production target of 163 million tonne for the current fiscal.
Overburden (OB) removal at MCL has also registered a significant growth of 22.2 per cent at 101.02 million cubic metre during the current fiscal. This would ensure sufficient availability of exposed resources to extract coal and meet the market demands, Sinha added.