New Delhi: In order to give a boost to the government's flagship programme 'Make in India,' Coal India Ltd (CIL) has for the first started using an electric dumper that has been developed by Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML), another public sector undertaking (PSU). The 205-tonne electric dumper, a critical piece of equipment in mining, is on trial at one of the largest Coal India subsidiaries, Northern Coalfields' Amlohri coal mine, where all low-capacity dumpers are being replaced by larger ones. The BEML e-dumper is the largest among the ones deployed at NCL.

The BEML dumper is expected to perform well on haul roads since it requires low maintenance. It is also equipped with hydraulic brakes, a modern dashboard, ergonomically-designed seat and emergency steering.

"If the dumper can successfully complete its trial run of six months, BEML will be able to participate in tenders for higher capacity dumpers floated by Coal India. One such tender has been recently floated, which involves procuring 96 high capacity dumpers for NCL at a maximum cost of Rs 1,500 crore. Another set of 10 dumpers is being procured for Eastern Coalfields," said a senior executive from Northern Coalfields.

The BEML dumper is expected to perform well on haul roads since it requires low maintenance. It is also equipped with hydraulic brakes, a modern dashboard, ergonomically-designed seat and emergency steering. A CIL executive said that the requirement for large-capacity dumpers is expected to rise at CIL with the coal producer planning to planning to phase out smaller ones. Currently, equipment supply to CIL is dominated by Russia's Belaz, Tata Hitachi and Caterpillar and each of these high-capacity dumpers come at prices upwards of Rs 15 crore. If the BEML dumper is able to survive the trial period, the company will be able to bid for tenders floated by CIL in the future.