Nagaland has mined 3 million tonnes of coal

Monday, 13 Feb 2012

Morung Express reported that since April 2011, Nagaland state has accessed at least 3 million tones of coal, a colossal increase of 295.5% from November 2008 when the state accessed a comparatively miniscule 0.11%.

The figures presented by project assessment and update new agency, Project Monitor, is surprising for the reason that coal exploration and extraction in Nagaland is still primarily an unorganized and often debated sector.

According to Project Monitor, in a News Bureau report filed on February 06, 2012, the total coal reserves “assessed” by 14 states, including Nagaland, is at 286 billion tonnes.

About 272,000 meters of exploratory drilling was carried out during 2008-09, which converted 2.74 billion tonnes of coal reserves into ‘proved category’. The subsequent two years 2009-10 and 2010-11 witnessed 4.70 and 4.92 lakh meters of detailed exploratory drilling that resulted in 2.70 billion tonnes and 2.17 billion tonnes of resources, respectively, of the proven category. During the 12th Plan 4.955 million meters drilling is envisaged to convert about 74.85 billion tonnes of resources into ‘proved category’ by the Central Mine Planning & Design Institute and its agencies.

As per the estimate and inventory prepared by Geological Survey of India, the total assessed coal resources were placed at 285.9 billion tones as on April 1st 2011. Of this, Jharkhand accounted for 28%, Odisha 24%, Chhattisgarh 17% and Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh around 8% each. Thus, around 85% of the country’s coal resources, which form the base for thermal power and several other manufacturing industries like cement and steel, are in these five states only. Coal has in recent years proved a powerful pull for all big-ticket projects in mining, power and metal sectors.

(sourced Morungexpress.com)