SCCL prepares for uninterrupted coal production in rainy season

Singareni management has initiated special measures to ensure uninterrupted coal production ahead of the southwest monsoon. SCCL has installed heavy-duty pumps in opencast mines and directed officials to strengthen preparedness to maintain steady coal supply to thermal power stations.

Peddapalli: In view of weather forecasts indicating the onset of the southwest monsoon within the next ten days, Singareni management has initiated special measures to ensure uninterrupted coal production during the rainy season.

In accordance with the directions of the State and Central governments to maintain adequate coal supply to thermal power stations even during the monsoon, SCCL Chairman and Managing Director Dr Buddhaprakash Jyoti conducted a comprehensive review meeting with the General Managers of all areas at Singareni Bhavani, Hyderabad, on Saturday.

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At present, nearly 95 per cent of Singareni’s coal production comes from opencast mines. During heavy rains, water accumulation in opencast mines often hampers production activities. To address this, SCCL has already installed more than 100 heavy-duty pumps and motors across all opencast mines to dewater the mines and continue production operations. However, as water inflow may increase significantly during intense rainfall, the CMD directed officials to arrange additional company and private pumps wherever necessary to prevent water stagnation near overburden and coal benches and to strengthen haul roads.

He emphasised that all necessary arrangements should be made in advance to ensure the availability of sufficient pumping equipment. For this purpose, the concerned GMs at the corporate office were instructed to initiate necessary action related to tenders. Reviewing mine-wise proposals and preparedness plans related to monsoon management, he instructed officials to continuously monitor weather advisories issued by the Meteorological Department.

In view of the increased power demand arising from international developments, he stressed that all area managements should take adequate measures to ensure uninterrupted coal supply to thermal power plants having Fuel Supply Agreements (FSAs) with Singareni. He emphasised that maximum possible coal production should be achieved before the onset of the monsoon, as higher production during the first quarter would significantly help offset the impact of rains on production during the monsoon season. He directed officials to ensure optimum utilisation of heavy machinery and effective deployment of manpower.

Stating that these aspects were already being discussed in multi-departmental team meetings, he called upon officials to create awareness among employees about the challenges presently being faced by the company and motivate every employee to contribute towards the organisation’s growth.