SCCL Plans Coal Gasification Pilot Project At Singareni Thermal Power Plant

The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) is comprehensively exploring opportunities to enter the coal gasification sector, aiming to transform the company into a diversified energy enterprise. As part of this transition, the mining company is planning a pilot project to be situated on the Singareni Thermal Power Plant (STPP) premises.

During a high-level meeting held in Hyderabad, SCCL Chairperson and Managing Director Buddhaprakash Jyoti met with Srikanth Nagulapally, the Director General of the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The CMD briefed the Director General on the specific initiatives currently being taken by SCCL in the field of coal gasification.

A major component of these plans involves a proposed Ammonium Nitrate Melt plant. Engineers India Limited (EIL) had previously carried out a detailed feasibility study for establishing a 400 tonnes per day Ammonium Nitrate Melt plant on the STPP premises. However, Jyoti informed the DGH Director General that, at present, the project’s estimated return on investment is not sufficiently encouraging to proceed under the current parameters.

To resolve these financial challenges, SCCL is actively exploring various alternatives to improve the overall viability of the proposed project. Among the options being considered are enhancing the production capacity of the plant, adopting indigenous technologies, and availing of the Central government's viability gap funding (VGF) support.

As part of the preparation for the pilot project, a team of SCCL officials is scheduled to visit several major coal gasification projects later this month to study their operations. The itinerary for the study tour includes visits to key coal gasification sites, specifically Talcher, MCL–BHEL, and JSPL, to gain operational insights that can be applied to the STPP pilot project.