SAIL to tap solution for coking coal optimisation

SAIL is desperate in finding alternative solution to reduce its coking coal import.

In order to find a solution SAIL’s Colliery Division in collaboration with CSIR-Central Institute of Mining & Fuel Research, Dhanbad has organised a workshop for “Augmentation of Indigenous Coking Coal Supply in Steel Industries” at Kolkata on Saturday.

SAIL’s Director (Raw Materials & Logistic), Kalyan Maity, and Director, CSIR-CIMFR Dr. P K Singh, took initiative to bring in the industry experts to address the burning issue of optimising the use of domestic coking coal resources for steel industry.

India has to heavily depend on import of coking coal, as the domestic quality has higher ash content and not suitable for steel industry with present technology. Country’s present coking coal production is around 50 mt. out of which only 4 mt is being used by the steel industry, and the major chunk goes to thermal plants.

With the 6% growth assumption, India is expected to produce 111 million tonne of steel by 2020.

Accordingly the import demand of coking coal is expected to go up to 75 million tonne form the 44.7 mt in 2014-15, as presented by metal junction in the workshop. The Forex outgo will increase to $ 6.9 billion from $3.5 billion for the import.  

SAIL’s Advisor (Coal), N C Jha, former-chairman CIL, who inaugurated the workshop, stressed on increasing the domestic production of coking coal and is hopeful about reducing the import dependence in future.