Coal news and updates

Railways to set up coal shed at Barahat in Banka

The railways, in the backdrop of insufficient space for stockpiling coal at coal shed at Pirpainty in Bhagalpur district and thereafter supplying coal to power generating units of NTPC at Kahalgaon and Farakka, have decided to set up another coal shed at Barahat in adjoining Banka district on Bhagalpur-Mandar Hill railway section.

The additional coal shed at Barahat will cater to the needs of coal supply at power generating units of NTPC and is aimed at ending the periodic coal crisis at power plants besides providing ample coal storage and supply of coal to two proposed power plants at Banka and one in Godda (Jharkhand).

Railway sources said establishment of coal shed at Barahat will also have added advantage of revenue generation for the railways since the Bhagalpur-Mandar railway hill branch line has become operational. The Bhagalpur-Mandar Hill railway section, which is being extended to Dumka (Jharkhand), had been running in loss in view of limited train services on the route since the operation commenced.

Sources said most of the coal mining areas fall in adjoining state of Jharkhand. Supply of coal for the power generating units of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) at Farakka and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district are made from Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) at Lalmatia (Jharkhand) and other coal mines through coal shed at Pirpainty. Because of the lone shed at Pirpainty in this region, coal dumping as per day-to-day requirement for the power generation in NTPC units is inadequate and at times the shortfall in coal supply to Kahalgaon and Farakka units hinders production. In the backdrop, the plan for establishment of coal shed at Barahat envisaged long back is likely to come up by the end of current financial year, said sources.

Sources also said coal shed at Barahat will be strategically located for stockpiling of coal from coalmines in Jharkhand and transporting the same to different power generating units of NTPC as well as to the three proposed private thermal power stations in Banka and Godda districts.

In addition, coal supply to Kanti thermal power station, which at present is the franchise of NTPC, from railways' Barahat coal shed will also become feasible, sources added.

RK Gupta, ADRM, Malda Division, said work is underway and coal loading would commence once the railway line siding (short stretch of railroad track that connects with the main track) is completed. It definitely will generate good revenue for the railways as well apart from catering to the needs of power generating units, he added.

Source: The Times of India