New Delhi: Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) have joined hands to jointly develop and operate two adjoining coal blocks in West Bengal with a combined peak rated capacity of 4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The two state-owned companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of SAIL’s Indikatta Ramnagore coal block and BCCL’s East of Damagoria (Kalyaneshwari) coal block, in a move aimed at boosting domestic coking coal production for the steel industry.
The proposed project is expected to tap around 79 million tonnes of potential extractable reserves in Phase 1, according to BCCL’s regulatory filing. The adjoining blocks will be developed through an integrated mining arrangement, with operations initially planned in the Kalyaneshwari block, while overburden generated during mining will be dumped in the Ramnagore block. The partnership is aimed at supporting domestic availability of coking coal and strengthening the raw-material base for India’s steel sector.
BCCL described the partnership as part of efforts to strengthen domestic sources of coking coal and support raw-material availability for the sector.
