Nitin Gadkari proposes use of non-functional coal mines in Vidarbha
Gadkari reiterated the need for alternative fuels and biofuels for the future of the country
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said that the coal mines in Vidarbha region and WCL areas of Maharashtra which are not economically viable, produce low quality coal and where mining has almost stopped, can be used for coal gasification projects.
He was addressing a session on ‘coal gasification’ at the Advantage Vidarbha event in Nagpur city, which was attended by Coal Secretary Amritlal Meena, Niti Aayog member VK Saraswat and Coal India Limited (CIL) Chairman PM Prasad, among others.
During his address, the Road Transport and Highways Minister asked the CIL and the Coal Ministry whether “coal mines which are not economically viable and those with low quality coal and where mining has almost stopped in Vidarbha and Western Coal Fields (WCL) areas )” could be used for coal gasification projects.
He also advocated the use of non-viable coal blocks and low quality coal blocks under WCL areas for coal gasification.
The Union minister supported public-private partnerships in coal gasification projects, coal mining and coal mine power projects.
Stating that the shortage of ammonium nitrate is also affecting the mining industry, Gadkari underlined the need for large-scale production of ammonium nitrate.
He said nano-urea, introduced by the Centre, should be used instead of extracting the urea from coal.
Gadkari reiterated the need for alternative fuels and biofuels for the future of the country.
“Not only methanol, but also 300 other by-products can be produced by the gasification of coal, which will reduce fuel imports. This is a great opportunity to develop the methanol economy in the country,” he said.
Gadkari said coal is available in large quantities in Yavatmal, Chandrapur and Nagpur districts of Vidarbha region, besides Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where WCL operates.
“These platforms can definitely help in increasing employment in this (WCL) region. Benefit Vidarbha is working towards this goal,” he added.
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First print: January 28, 2024 | 11:10 PM IST