Coal India Ltd (CIL) is planning to set up seven coal washeries at an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore. The washeries are expected to have a capacity to beneficiate nearly 16 million tonnes of coal.
The new washeries are a part of the 12th Five Year Plan (beginning April 2012). Coal India, currently, has 17 washeries with an installed capacity of nearly 35 mt.
According to Tapas Kumar Sinha, General Manager, Project Monitoring Division, CIL, short-listing of prospective bidders have already been carried out for four of the projects.
“Projects will be on a public-private-partnership format and on a turnkey basis. Discussions on four of these washeries are in advanced stages,” Sinha said on the sidelines of a conference, “India-South Africa Economic Co-Operation: Promotion of Capital Equipments”, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Eastern Region. Agreement for two washeries had already been signed and two more would be signed shortly.
The rest would be done during the year.
Maintenance cost of the washeries will be borne by CIL, he added.