96 dumpers to be added to CIL’s heavy earthmoving machinery fleet, taking the total count of dumpers to 162
Kolkata, August 28: India’s state-owned coal mining company Coal India Limited (CIL) has awarded ₹29bn (approximately $390m) contract to Belarusian dump tracks manufacturer Belaz for 96, 250t dumpers, the amount for purchasing the dumpers to be met out of CIL’s own finances, which includes the cost of dumpers and spares for eight years, as well as a one-year warranty period.
A total of 96 dumpers would be added to CIL’s heavy earthmoving machinery fleet and would be deployed in South Eastern Coalfields (SECL), taking the total count of 250t dumpers to 162, out of which 66 are already in operation. The first batch comprising six dumpers is expected to be launched within eight months of the signing of the contract.
Dumpers are mainly used in open cast mines. They help in the transport of bulk materials such as overburden, which is an important task in open pit exploitations. Of the total 96 dumpers, 84 dumpers would be put into operation in the Gevra project in Korba district of Chhattisgarh, while the remaining 12 would be operated by Chhattisgarh’s Kusmunda project, both mines being the opencast projects of SECL. “This move is in line with improving our production and productivity in open cast mines”, a CIL senior executive stated.
The Indian Government in January had granted environmental clearance for Coal India to proceed with 17 projects, which would produce an additional 150MT of coal in five years. The government had earlier in November 2018 initiated the process to sell a stake of up to 9% in Coal India as part of its plan to achieve its divestment target.
