Singareni gears up for underground coal gasification pilot project
The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has stepped up efforts to enter the coal gasification sector, with preparations underway for its first Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) pilot project as part of its strategy to transform into a diversified energy company.
Hyderabad: The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has stepped up efforts to enter the coal gasification sector, with preparations underway for its first Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) pilot project as part of its strategy to transform into a diversified energy company.
SCCL Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Buddhaprakash Jyoti reviewed the company’s coal gasification initiatives during a meeting with Dr. Srikant Nagulapalli, Director General of the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, at Singareni Bhavan in Hyderabad.
The CMD said Engineers India Limited (EIL) has completed a feasibility study for setting up a 400-tonnes-per-day Ammonium Nitrate Melt Plant at the Singareni Thermal Power Plant (STPP). However, due to limited returns on investment under the current model, SCCL is exploring options to improve the project’s viability by increasing plant capacity, availing Central Government Viability Gap Funding (VGF), and adopting indigenous technologies.
As part of its expansion plans, a team of SCCL officials will visit major coal gasification projects, including Talcher, MCL-BHEL and JSPL, later this month to study their operational models. The company is also carrying out techno-economic studies to assess the feasibility of surface coal gasification projects in the Bheemaram, Chennur South and Naini areas.
For the Underground Coal Gasification initiative, SCCL has identified five deep coal blocks in the Bellampalli and Ramagundam regions as potential sites. Preparations are in progress to launch the first pilot project in the Bellampalli Dip-side Block, including drilling activities. The pilot project will be implemented with technical support from scientists of the Central Mine Planning & Design Institute (CMPDI) and CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR).
The meeting was attended by SCCL Directors L.V. Suryanarayana (Operations), K. Venkateswarlu (Projects & Planning), Gowtham Potru (Personnel & Finance), Executive Director B. Venkanna, and other senior officials.
For more details: Munsif daily.com
