Kishan Reddy urges coal PSUs to prioritise quality

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

In the context of India moving towards self-reliance in the energy sector, Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy emphasised that all government coal companies must strive to remain competitive in the market by adhering to strict quality standards.

He stated that Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) should also focus on reducing production costs and improving coal quality to strengthen its position in the competitive market.

The Minister conducted a nationwide review of coal companies through a video conference from New Delhi on Tuesday.

During the meeting, he stated that a new coal sale mechanism through the proposed coal exchange is being introduced to enable consumers across the country to procure coal of their preferred grade from a supplier of their choice and in this competitive framework, maintaining coal quality will be essential for government companies to sustain their market presence. The Union Minister further advised all companies to take necessary measures to reduce production costs in order to protect and expand their market share.

Reviewing the performance of SCCL, Kishan Reddy advised the company to focus on supplying quality coal at competitive prices and to achieve the targets set for new mining projects. From Singareni Bhavan, Hyderabad, Chairman and Managing Director of SCCL

Dr. Buddhaprakash Jyoti, participated in the review and presented the company’s future plans through a powerpoint presentation.

He informed that efforts are underway to secure necessary approvals for the commencement of five new opencast projects during the year. These include JK OC at Yellandu, Manuguru Opencast Extension, Ramagundam OC-1 Phase-III, Goleti OC, and RK Opencast project.

These projects require forest and environmental clearances. Additionally, approvals for non-forest land are required for seven other projects, Buddhaprakash Jyoti said.

He stated that SCCL is taking measures to supply higher-quality coal to consumers and is increasing dispatches to avoid stock accumulation during the summer season.

The SCCL CMD also highlighted that, due to the non-availability of Compensatory Afforestation (CA) land, CPSU status is required for SCCL to facilitate the early grounding of new mining projects.