Coal India Limited, in a move aimed at improving the quality of its coking coal, will be setting up eight new coking coal washeries at an estimated capital outlay of INR 33,000 million. Expected to be operational by Fiscal year 2030 these would have a combined washing capacity of 21.5 Million Tonnes per Year (MT/Y). The upcoming coking coal washeries are in addition to the ten that Coal India Limited already operates having 18.35 MT/Y cumulative capacity.
Coal India Limited would also be investing INR 3,000 million in renovation and modernization of the existing coking coal washeries to ensure their optimal and gainful utilization. Of the eight new washeries five will be set up in Central Coalfields Limited (14.5 MT/Y) and three in Bharat Coking Coal Limited (7 MT/Y). This calibrated expansion of washing capacity and modernization is to improve domestic coking coal quality and also is an effort to moderate import dependence in the coming years.
Plans are in pipeline to monetize three older, non-operative coking coal washeries aligning with National Monetization Policy. Coal India Limited is also renovating and modernizing two aging coking coal washeries to improve their throughput, recovery efficiency, and process reliability. In a public-private collaboration model, Coal India Limited is leveraging washing capacity and technical expertise from TATA Steel Limited to enhance the supply of quality coking coal to the domestic steel sector.
