Telangana: Singareni to deploy third continuous miner at GDK-11 incline mine

Singareni Collieries will add a third continuous miner at its Godavarikhani 11 incline mine to boost annual coal production to one million tonnes. Tenders worth Rs 100 crore have been invited, making it India’s first underground mine with three continuous miners

Peddapalli: In a bid to enhance coal production, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has decided to introduce a third Continuous Miner (CM) at the Godavarikhani 11 incline underground coal mine.

The mine currently operates two continuous miners, and the addition of a third machine aims to achieve an annual production target of one million tonnes of coal. While the existing two miners are operated directly by SCCL, the new one will be run on a hired basis. The company has invited tenders worth Rs 100 crore from private agencies for the purpose.

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Once operational, GDK-11 incline will become the first mine in the country to have three continuous miners and also the first underground mine under SCCL to produce one million tonnes of coal annually. The company plans to commission the new CM within the next six months after completing all necessary processes.

The GDK-11 incline mine began operations in 1979, with coal production starting in 1985. Over the years, it has used various mining methods including bord and pillar, longwall, and blasting gallery (BG). The first continuous miner was introduced in 2008, followed by the second in 2021.

A continuous miner is a large machine equipped with powerful cutting teeth that bore into coal seams, transferring the mined coal via a conveyor belt. The process runs continuously, hence the name.

With coal seams located at a depth of around 350 metres, SCCL has opted for the continuous miner method to increase extraction efficiency. Of the total 53 million tonnes of reserves in the mine, 20.5 million tonnes have been extracted so far, leaving an estimated 32.5 million tonnes. To achieve its one million tonnes per annum target, SCCL decided to deploy the third continuous miner.