Lok Sabha Question No. 3515 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-23
Subject: Production of Lignite
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: KRISHNAN NARAYANASAMY RAMACHANDRAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3515 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2017

## Production of Lignite

## 3515. SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN:

Will the Minister of Coal be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of grade, quantity and value of lignite produced from various operational mines in Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited during the last three years and the current year along with its value in international market, year-wise;
- (b) the total income earned during the above period;
- (c) the measures taken by the Government to produce more quantity of high grade lignite from NLC;
- (d) the total quantity and quality of lignite supplied to the thermal power stations during the said period together with its performance in generation of power; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to provide adequate infrastructural logistic and technological facilities to NLC Limited?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) IN THE MINISTRY OF COAL, POWER, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a) & (b): NLCIL lignite is classified as G 15 to G 16 grade based on the calorific value of the fuel.

The quantity and value of Lignite produced from various operational lignite Mines of NLC India Limited (NLCIL) during the last three years and current year along with its value of production and total income earned during the corresponding last three years is given as under:

| Unit                  | 2016-17 Upto Feb.'2017               | 2016-17 Upto Feb.'2017       | 2015-16                              | 2015-16                      | 2014-15                                 | 2014-15                     | 2013-14                                 | 2013-14                      |
|-----------------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------------|------------------------------|
|                       | Lignite Produc tion (Million Tonnes) | Value of productio n (Rs Cr) | Lignite Producti on (Million Tonnes) | Value of productio n (Rs Cr) | Lignite Producti on (In Million Tonnes) | Value of production (Rs Cr) | Lignite Producti on (In Million Tonnes) | Value of productio n (Rs Cr) |
| Mine-I                | 7.928                                | 2175.87                      | 9.101                                | 2066.85                      | 9.055                                   | 2121.46                     | 9.003                                   | 1353.78                      |
| Mine-IA               | 2.380                                | 658.49                       | 2.817                                | 677.17                       | 2.915                                   | 559.72                      | 3.001                                   | 547.51                       |
| Mine-II               | 12.383                               | 3222.64                      | 12.309                               | 2840.87                      | 13.221                                  | 2431.06                     | 13.052                                  | 2332.81                      |
| Mine- Barsingsar      | 1.241                                | 161.06                       | 1.224                                | 115.11                       | 1.352                                   | 102.62                      | 1.553                                   | 149.37                       |
| Total                 | 23.932                               | 6218.06                      | 25.451                               | 5700.01                      | 26.543                                  | 5214.86                     | 26.609                                  | 4383.47                      |
| Total Income (Rs. Cr) | 7610.21                              | 7610.21                      | 7194.20                              | 7194.20                      | 6796.97                                 | 6796.97                     | 6991.99                                 | 6991.99                      |

Lignite  cannot  be  transported  for  a  long  distance  due  to  spontaneous  firing  nature  of  lignite.  Further, Lignite excavated from NLCIL Mines is not exported nor lignite from other countries is imported.

- (c): NLCIL is implementing the following projects to augment its lignite production:
- i. Expansion of Mine-I (Area Expansion) & Expansion of Mine-IA from 3 MTPA to 7 MTPA, Neyveli, TN.
- ii. Bithnok Lignite Mine(2.25 MTPA),Rajasthan.
- iii. Hadla Lignite Mines (1.9 MTPA), Barsingsar, Rajasthan.
- iv. Barsingsar Mine Expn (0.40  MTPA),Rajasthan.
- v. Mine-III (11.50 MTPA), Neyveli, TN.
- vi. Palayamkotai & South of Vellar (11.50 MTPA), TN.
- (d): The total quantity of lignite (thermal grade quality) supplied to the thermal power stations during the last three years are as below

(In MT)

| Particulars of consumption in TPS   |   2016-17(upto Feb.'2017) |   2015-16 |   2014-15 |   2013-14 |
|-------------------------------------|---------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| TPS-I                               |                     5.205 |     4.863 |     5.331 |     5.93  |
| TPS-I Exp                           |                     3.107 |     3.342 |     3.449 |     3.341 |
| TPS-II                              |                    10.875 |    11.515 |    12.021 |    12.15  |
| TPS-II Exp                          |                     1.556 |     1.056 |     0.346 |     0.047 |
| TPS-Barsingsar                      |                     1.262 |     1.313 |     1.352 |     1.479 |

## Performance in generation of power

| Particulars of Generation of TPS (In MU)   | 2016-17 (upto Feb.'2017)   | 2016-17 (upto Feb.'2017)   | 2015-16       | 2015-16   | 2014-15       | 2014-15   | 2013-14       | 2013-14   |
|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|---------------|-----------|---------------|-----------|---------------|-----------|
| Particulars of Generation of TPS (In MU)   | Generation MU              | PLF %                      | Generation MU | PLF %     | Generation MU | PLF %     | Generation MU | PLF %     |
| TPS-I                                      | 3328.89                    | 69.21                      | 3160.98       | 59.98     | 3631.05       | 69.08     | 4058.14       | 77.21     |
| TPS-I Exp                                  | 3024.24                    | 89.83                      | 3268.16       | 88.59     | 3385.03       | 92.00     | 3292.10       | 89.48     |
| TPS-II                                     | 10005.05                   | 84.91                      | 10583.15      | 81.96     | 11131.33      | 86.44     | 11179.16      | 86.81     |
| TPS-II Exp                                 | 1296.94                    | 32.36                      | 851.46        | --        | 199.57        | -         | 21.01         | -         |
| TPS-Barsingsar                             | 1307.20                    | 65.23                      | 1285.57       | 58.54     | 1380.71       | 63.05     | 1438.24       | 65.67     |
| Wind Power                                 | 89.44                      | --                         | 24.02         | --        | 1.44          | --        | --            | --        |
| Solar                                      | 15.31                      | --                         | 8.87          | --        | --            | --        | --            | --        |
| Total                                      | 19067.07                   | --                         | 19182.21      | --        | 19729.13      | --        | 19988.65      | --        |

- (e):  NLCIL  is  mining  lignite  and  operates  pit  head  power  generating  stations.  As  on  date,  NLCIL  is operating three open cast Lignite mines at Neyveli with a production capacity of 28.5 Million Tonnes Per Annum. In all the mines, following infrastructural, logistic and other technologies are used:
-  Specialised  Mining  Equipments  (SMEs)  viz.  Bucket  Wheel  Excavators  (BWE),  Mobile  Transfer Conveyors (MTC)
-  System of Conveyors and Spreaders for excavation and transportation of lignite and overburden.
-  Mechanized Conventional Mining Equipment technology comprising of Shovel & Dumper combination Wireless based centralized monitoring operation and control system in one of the benches of Mine-IA.
-  PLC based automation system for Mine-I Lignite bunker.
-  Implementation  of  Variable  Voltage  Variable  Frequency  (VVVF)  drives  in  Specialized  Mining Equipments and Conveyors.
-  Introduction of Programmable logic control (PLC) based dynamic loading system in conveyor systems for conservation of energy.
-  Introduction of slope failure prediction technique.
-  Introduction of simulator for safe operation of SMEs.

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