Coal news and updates

Severe decline in loading of coal from CIL mines

June 23: The loading of coal by rakes from Coal India Ltd (CIL) has been severely affected in June after a severe decline in May due to multiple reasons, a company source said.

“While it was excessive heat that had affected loading in May, heavy rainfall in some of the mining areas of Eastern Coalfields Ltd and Bharat Coking Coal Ltd too had affected loading. Restriction of transportation in Ib and Talcher coalfields of MCL from 11 am to 3 pm is also affecting loading,” the official said.

“We had received on an average only 182 rakes per day till during the first 19 days of June as against the plan of 234.5 rakes per day, which means the average loading was lower by around 23%,” the source said.

The actual average loading during the corresponding period of June 2013 was 184.2 rakes per day.

“Of the average of 182 rakes per day loaded till June 19, as much as 158.4 rakes per day was utilised for loading of coal meant for power sector and the balance for other sectors,” the source said.

The loading of coal by rakes had been falling consistently from February 2014 when on an average 208.3 rakes per day was loaded, the official said.

The averaging loading fell to 205.9 rakes per day in March and further to 197.7 rakes in April.

“The average loading in May 2014 was only 186.6 rakes per day,” the official added.

For a change, the CIL official did not entirely blamed Indian Railways for less loading after February 2014.