SECL's First Mile Connectivity Projects: 82 MTPA Capacity Under Development

New Delhi, Feb 22 (PTI) The government on Saturday said eight first mile connectivity projects of Coal India arm South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) having a capacity of 82 million tonnes (MT) per annum are under various phases of development.

The company has set a target to commission these projects in the next 2-3 years.

First Mile Connectivity (FMC) projects connect coal mines to transportation hubs such as railways and highways. FMC is widely recognised as efficient and eco-friendly coal transportation mode.

The PSU has undertaken 17 FMC projects with a cumulative capacity of 233 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). Out of these, nine projects with a total capacity of 151 MTPA have already been commissioned, the coal ministry said in a statement.

SECL's Dipka Megaproject has begun operations by loading the first coal rake from its newly built Rapid Loading System and silos 3 and 4 on Friday, the statement said.

Before the commissioning of the new silo, Dipka relied on a merry-go-round dispatch system with a capacity of 15 MTPA.