Need to use LNG engines in mineral industries: SCCL director

Chandrasekhar said that as part of India's goal of becoming a pollution-free country by 2070, hydrogen and LNG were being used in mineral industries

Hyderabad: Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) director (Operations) S Chandrasekhar emphasized the need for the use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) engines in mineral industries to reduce carbon emission.

Speaking at a conference of the National Federation of Indian Mineral Industries held at Hitex here on Monday, Chandrasekhar said that as part of India’s goal of becoming a pollution-free country by 2070, hydrogen and LNG were being used in mineral industries. Efforts were being made to reduce carbon emissions globally, especially focusing on alternative technologies to reduce the thermal power used by mineral industries. Singareni too was taking steps in that direction, he said, adding that the company had already set up solar plants with a combined capacity of 219 megawatts for its electricity needs, with more plants to add another 81 megawatts soon. This would help the SCCL achieve the goal of 100 percent “net zero energy”.

Director(Finance) N Balaram said that on the directive of the Central Coal Department, SCCL was making efforts to produce 800 lakh tonnes of coal during fiscal year 2023-24 beyond the target assigned to it as part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

He said that as part of the environment-friendly initiatives, Singareni was increasing its solar power production from the current 300 MW to 1000 MW.

As part of the conference, many companies from across the country displayed their eco-friendly machine models in the exhibition.