Lok Sabha Question No. 768 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-07-21
Subject: Quality of Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: ANURAG SINGH THAKUR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 768 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.07.2016 Quality of Coal

## 768. SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR

Will the MINISTER OF COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any plan to maintain the quality of coal produced in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether his Ministry has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with other Ministries regarding the quality of coal;
- (d) if so, the details and salient features thereof; and
- (e) the time by which the work is likely to be started in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINSITER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF COAL, POWER,  NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a)&  (b) The  measures  taken  by  CIL  to  maintain  quality  of  coal  produced  from  its  mines include the following:
- i. Deployment of more Surface Miners to facilitate selective mining.
- ii. Fifteen  washeries  have  been  planned  for  installation  with  a  capacity  of  112.60 Million tons
- iii. Selective mining of bands of more than one meter thickness.
- iv. Appropriate positioning of OB and coal benches to avoid contamination.
- v. Scrapping/cleaning of coal benches before blasting.
- vi.      Efforts are being made to increase underground production where high grade coal is available.
- (c)& (d) MOU on third party sampling (TPS) for coal quality monitoring at loading end at CIL subsidiaries  &  SCCL  for  dispatch  to  Power  Utilities  was  signed  between  (i)COAL INDIA, NTPC and CSIR-CIMFR & (ii) COAL INDIA,ASSOCIATION  OF  POWER PRODUCER AND CSIR-CIMFR on 28.06.2016.

The salient features of MOU in brief are as under-

-  Independent Third Party Agency to be appointed by Central Institute for Mining & Fuel  Research  (CIMFR)  by  a  transparent  process  for  undertaking  the  work  of
- sampling  &  analysis  of  coal  at  the  loading  end  on  behalf  of  both  the  power  plant (consumer) and the coal companies (supplier).
-  CSIR-CIMFR,  Dhanbad  will  be  wholly  responsible  for  collection,  preparation  and analysis of coal supplied to various Power Utilities (PUs) at loading end in context of Fuel Supply Agreement, MOU, Forward and Special Forward e-auctions for Power consumers etc.
-  Quantity to be sampled is approximately 150 million Metric Tonne per year which will be increased in phased manner.
-  MOU valid w.e.f. 1 st January 2016. It shall remain in force for a period of 10 years with provision of extension for another 5 years.
-  CIMFR shall enlist Technical Service Provider (TSP) through transparent process for collection,  preparation  and  transportation  of  coal  samples  from  loading  points  to CSIR-CIMFR. .
-  Authorized representatives of power plant and Coal Company shall jointly witness the process of sample collection & preparation of laboratory samples and put their signature  on  sample  tags  in  evidence  of  the  process  of  sampling.  All  three  independent sampler, consumer and supplier; shall also sign on the samples register maintained by the coal company at the loading end.
-  The fee  for  independent  sampling  agency  shall  be  equally  borne  by  both  the  coal company (supplier) and the power utility (consumer).
-  CSIR-CIMFR shall communicate Analysis Results within 18 (eighteen) working days of the  sample  collection  to  the  coal  company  and  the  power  plant  who  may  raise dispute, if any, within 07(seven) days of the submission such results.

In  case  a  dispute  arises  within  the  stipulated  time  period,  the  Referee  sample  shall  be analyzed at mutually agreed government laboratory and results will be binding on both Coal Company and the Power Utility.

(e) CIMFR has started sampling work at some loading points of subsidiary coal companies w.e.f. 01.01.2016 in a phased manner.

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