Bhatti Vikramarka Says Singareni Is Telangana’s Heartbeat, Calls for 10-Year Growth Plan and Lower Coal Production Costs

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu said Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) is the “heartbeat” and “soul of Telangana” and stressed that the State Government is committed to making the 130-year-old public sector enterprise stronger, future-ready, and globally competitive. During a field inspection at the Sathupalli Open Cast Coal Mine, he directed officials to improve coal quality, reduce production costs, prepare a 10-year strategic plan, expand into solar energy and critical minerals, and ensure the long-term sustainability of SCCL.

Bhatti Vikramarka Inspects Sathupalli Open Cast Mine

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu conducted a field inspection at the Sathupalli Open Cast Coal Mine, where he reviewed:

• Coal reserves
• Coal production processes
• Coal quality

After the inspection, he addressed the media and explained that the visit was undertaken to directly assess mining operations, understand the company’s challenges, and review its future plans.

Senior officials who accompanied him included:

• Navin Mittal, Energy Special Chief Secretary
• Dr. Buddha Prakash Jyoti, Chairman and Managing Director, SCCL
• Dr. Harish, CMD, TGGENCO
• Gautham Potru, Director, SCCL
• Divakar T.S., Khammam District Collector
• MLAs Matta Ragamayee and Maloth Ramdas Naik, among others.

‘Singareni Is the Soul of Telangana’

Calling Singareni the “soul of Telangana,” Bhatti Vikramarka said the people of Telangana and Singareni employees share an emotional bond with the 130-year-old institution.

He said it is the collective responsibility of everyone to protect the public sector enterprise, strengthen it further, and hand it over to future generations as a profitable organization.

According to the Deputy Chief Minister, the State Government’s top priority is to ensure that SCCL remains a strong, efficiently managed, and future-ready public sector enterprise by expanding its business and ensuring long-term sustainability.

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Improve Coal Quality, Reduce Production Costs

Explaining mining operations, Bhatti Vikramarka said Overburden (OB) refers to the soil and rock removed during mining, while coal is the company’s most valuable resource and primary source of revenue.

He observed that contractors may view overburden removal and coal excavation similarly because payments are based on excavation volume, but management must clearly distinguish between the two.

He instructed officials to ensure that:

• Overburden, soil, and rocks do not mix with coal during blasting and loading operations.
• Company officials continuously monitor every shovel and loading point.
• Only high-quality, uncontaminated coal is supplied to TGGENCO and other customers.

The Deputy Chief Minister said transporting inferior-quality coal unnecessarily increases transportation costs, reduces efficiency at thermal power plants, and could even lead to plant tripping.

Singareni Must Compete with Private Players

Bhatti Vikramarka said the coal industry has changed significantly.

He noted that while the sector once operated under a monopoly, it now faces intense competition due to:

• Entry of private companies
• Increasing coal imports from abroad

To remain competitive, he said, Singareni must produce superior-quality coal while simultaneously reducing production costs.

Missed Opportunities in Coal Block Auctions

The Deputy Chief Minister observed that Singareni missed several opportunities over the past decade by not participating in auctions for new coal blocks.

He explained that after acquiring a coal block through an auction, it generally takes seven to eight years to complete land acquisition, obtain forest clearances, and begin mining operations.

For this reason, he instructed SCCL to prepare and execute plans with a minimum 10-year strategic vision.

Joint Action Plan for Future Power Demand

Bhatti Vikramarka directed the managements of SCCL and TGGENCO to jointly prepare a long-term action plan by:

• Assessing Telangana’s future electricity demand.
• Estimating the coal requirement for the next 10 years.

He also said that after the present people’s government assumed office, pending land acquisition and forest clearance issues relating to the Tadicherla-II and Naini coal blocks were resolved quickly.

The Telangana Government, he added, will extend full support to enable Singareni to participate in future coal block auctions across the country.

Expand Beyond Coal into Solar and Critical Minerals

Highlighting the global transition towards clean energy, Bhatti Vikramarka said Singareni should not remain confined to coal production alone.

He urged SCCL to rapidly expand into:

• Solar power generation
• Pumped storage
• Hydrogen energy
• Nuclear energy

He said these energy sources will increasingly complement, and in some cases replace, thermal power in the future.

The Deputy Chief Minister also said Singareni should use its extensive mining expertise and highly skilled technical workforce to explore and mine critical minerals and rare earth minerals, which are essential for semiconductor and chip manufacturing.

Telangana Government Reaffirms Full Support

Bhatti Vikramarka reiterated that the Telangana Government is committed to providing every possible support to protect, strengthen, and transform Singareni Collieries Company Limited into a globally competitive and profitable enterprise.

He called upon officials, engineers, and workers to work together to further enhance the legacy and reputation of Singareni.

During his inspection of the Sathupalli Open Cast Coal Mine, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu reaffirmed that Singareni is the heartbeat and soul of Telangana. He called for lower production costs, improved coal quality, long-term planning, participation in future coal block auctions, expansion into solar power and critical minerals, and assured the Telangana Government’s full support to make SCCL a stronger, future-ready, and globally competitive public sector enterprise.