Suparjya swain 
Bhubaneswar: The Telangana-based Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) is set to begin coal production at the Naini coal block in Odisha’s Angul district from Wednesday, marking a significant milestone in the company’s 130-year history. This will be SCCL’s first mining operation outside of its home state.
Located in the Chhendipada region of Angul, the Naini mine was allotted to SCCL by the Union Ministry of Coal in May 2016. It has taken nearly nine years to secure all necessary clearances and approvals, paving the way for the commencement of operations.
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Energy and Finance, M. Bhatti Vikramarka, is expected to formally launch the project virtually later today.
Describing it as a “historic day” for the organization, SCCL Chairman and Managing Director N. Balaram said the Naini Block is poised to become the company’s largest opencast mine. While SCCL currently operates 17 opencast mines in Telangana’s Singareni coal belt, the Naini project, with estimated reserves of 340.78 million tonnes, significantly surpasses them in scale.
At peak capacity, the Naini mine is expected to produce 10 million tonnes of coal annually, with an estimated operational life of 38 years. The coal extracted is classified as G10 grade, offering a gross calorific value of approximately 4,300 kilocalories per kilogram.
Another key feature of the Naini operation is its relatively lower overburden removal requirement. While Singareni’s existing mines typically require the removal of around 12 million cubic metres of overburden per tonne of coal, Naini will only require 2.5 million cubic metres—improving operational efficiency.
The project involved the acquisition of 2,225 acres of land, including 1,935 acres of forest land and the remainder being private land. Contracts for overburden removal, coal mining, and transportation to the nearest rail siding at Jarapada have already been finalized.
Looking ahead, SCCL is collaborating with other mine allottees in the region to construct a 60-kilometre-long dedicated railway link, which will serve as a shared facility to streamline coal transportation.
With this expansion, SCCL is positioning itself as a more prominent national player in India’s coal production landscape, leveraging its expertise to tap into newer and larger reserves outside its traditional territory.
