Case Study: CIMFR Coal Sampling Project India

The Indian Power Sector is one of the most diversified in the world, considering that India can generate power from both conventional and non-conventional sources. India is, in fact, the third-largest producer and second-largest consumer of electricity worldwide, with an installed power capacity of 401 GW. India's electricity sector is dominated by fossil fuels, in particular coal, which produces about 50% of the country's electricity.

The Saubhagya Scheme or Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana is an Indian government project to provide electricity to all households, that was announced by the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The initiative to supply quality coal for power generation was led by three central ministries namely, the Ministry of Coal, the Ministry of Power, and Ministry of Science & Technology under the leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister.

To help achieve this, Cotecna was appointed by the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR) to control the quality of 800 million metric tons of domestic coal, produced annually at Indian coal mines and thermal power plants. Cotecna aims to deliver high-quality and timely services and is thus recognised as one of the most efficient and professional testing, inspection, and certification companies.

THE CHALLENGE

Indian coal is considered to be very heterogenous in nature with calorific values varying from 2000 Kcal/kg to 6000 Kcal/kg, with varied range of ash content. Due to these heterogeneities, coal sampling systems must be robust and unbiased to evaluate the correct quality of coal supplied from mines to power plants. At the same time, all of this must not restrict the supply of coal to power plants and adequate generation of electricity for the nation.

THE SOLUTION

Cotecna was awarded a contract in 2016 and then again in 2020 by CSIR-CIMFR (an Indian Institute under the India Ministry of Science & Technology). The contract is for coal sample collection, preparation, and submission of the coal samples to CSIR-CIMFR research centres at Dhanbad, Ranchi, Bilaspur and Nagpur maintaining the sanctity of samples collected from coal mines loading sites and power plant unloading sites. The samples collected are tested in CSIR-CIMFR coal testing laboratories to determine the quality of coal supplied from mines for power generation.

THE RESULTS

Cotecna helped the Indian Coal & Power industry to improve the system for sample collection and preparation from mine loading sites and unloading at power plants. At the same time, increasing the efficiency, safety and security of deployed inspectors by deploying our experienced teams of inspectors to collect coal samples and prepare them for testing. This solution not only helped the power industry to reduce the cost of power generation, but also generated employment for local community workers at over 300 locations across India.

24/7 Operations on PAN India locations

• +300 stations at Coal Mines
• +70 thermal power plants
• +300,000 samples per year
• 6 days TAT with zero delays
• +3500 trained inspection staff deployed
• +6 years since implementation

Cotecna offers bespoke services across the entire minerals and metals life cycle, from early-stage exploration, mining, through trading, smelting, and recycling. We audit and optimize relevant systems and processes, provide inspection and sampling services, and guarantee swift and reliable testing and certification.

To learn more about our services or to request a free quote, please contact us.