Reliance Power is confident of starting coal production at the Moher and Moher Amlohri mines by September.
The mines are allocated to the 3,960 MW Sasan Ultra Mega Power project in Madhya Pradesh.
The Rs 20,000-crore plant will supply power to seven States at a levelised tariff of Rs 1.19 a kWh.
A senior R Power official said over 2.5 million cubic metres of overburden had been removed and the company aims to produce 1.3-1.4 million tonnes of coal a month in March 2014.
The first unit of the 6 x 660 MW plant is expected to go on-stream by December and the balance units at three-month intervals thereafter.
The Sasan plant requires 15-16 million tonnes (mt) a year as each unit would need 2.5 (mt) annually. Coal mine reserves are estimated at 575 mt.
Coal production would be ramped up progressively ahead of the commercial operation of all the units, an official said.
MINING
R Power has tied up with US-based North American Coal Corporation to implement the latest global mining technologies.
To increase production from the coal blocks, R Power is using large equipment from global mining equipment makers such as Caterpillar, Komatsu and Atlas Copco. The draglines of excavators are as tall as a 30-storeyed building.
Over 55 dumpers with capacity of 240 tonnes each are being procured to transport coal.
The coal-carrying capacity of the 55 dumpers is equal to the load that five railway rakes haul.
The targeted output per man shift (OMS), a benchmark followed in mines, is about 78 tonnes.
In general, the OMS in many mines in India is about 10-12 tonnes, due to lower mechanisation.