OBR increases by 19.2%, eases faster extraction of coal & improves riverine ecosystem: CIL

New Delhi: State-owned Maharatna PSU Coal India's (CIL) over burden removal (OBR) has gone up by 19.2 percent in the April-December period, which will pave the way for faster extraction of coal in the coming months when demand for coal is expected to rise. "While chasing a challenging 700 MT production target during the ongoing financial year, higher quantities of OB removal eases the way for faster extraction of coal in the ensuing months with the coal seams already exposed," said Coal India in a statement on Monday.

"The coal mining Maharatna excavated 1,154.2 McuM OBR till December of the current fiscal year, posting a 19.2 percent growth over the corresponding period last year," the PSU said. The company is also producing sand from overburden, thereby making use of something that is usually discarded as waste.

CIL setting up 6 more projects to manufacture sand from OB

As per the statement, CIL has also taken up manufacturing sand out of OB creating wealth from waste in eco-friendly way. "Presently, sand demand is met through sand mining and dredging from water courses of rivers, which severely affects the eco-system of rivers. As an effort towards preserving the ecosystem, the PSU has started out of the box initiative of segregating sand from overburden formations," it said.

"Three OB to sand conversion projects presently operated by CIL's subsidiaries produced 16,643 CuM sand till Nov FY23. The company is unrolling plans to set up six more projects. All the nine plants are aimed to produce 30 Lakh CuM sand annually once fully operational. This makes manufactured sand available at cheaper rates and in eco-friendly manner. The move will also help to improve riverine ecosystem," the statement added.

CIL issues LoA for 9 coal mining projects to be implemented through MDO

Composite production of CIL increases by 18.6%

The statement also said that the company's composite production, the sum total of over burden removal (OBR) and coal output through opencast mines, increased by a sharp 18.6 percent to 1,439.6 million cubic metres (McuM) ending on December FY23, compared to year ago same period. This was 101 percent of the target achievement on progressive basis.

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