CIL invites foreign cos to address issues of modernisation

Coal India is inviting expression of interest from foreign consultancy firms to address the issues for its technology development and modernisation. Coal India has proposed to "invite expression of interest (EoI) from well established foreign consultancy/organisations to address the issues for technology development and modernisation", the Coal Ministry today said.

Besides, the consultant would also assess the requirements of technology and infrastructure development for mine planning and design and construction with regard to projected coal production plans for 12th, 13th and 14th Five Year Plans.

The Coal ministry further said the consultant would also "prepare a road map for technology upgradation covering the different plan periods," and "assess the status of existing technology for safety, production and productivity in the underground and opencast coal mines of various coalfields of CIL."

The projected coal demand in 2016-17, the terminal year of XII Five Year Plan, is about 980 million tonnes (MT) and the envisaged production to meet the projected demand is 795 MT, leaving a gap of 185 MT.

The gap in demand and supply of domestic coal has shot up from about 50 MT in 2007-08 to 83 MT in 2010-11. Gap in the current year is envisaged to reach 142 MT, according to an official release.

CIL, which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal production, missed its revised 2011-12 production target as it achieved only 435.84 MT as against 447 MT. The state-owned firm has fixed a production target of 464 MT for the current fiscal.