Rail – Coal Synergy to boost WCL Coal Despatches

Rail – Coal Synergy to boost WCL Coal Despatches

Nagpur: In order to give a boost to coal despatches for its consumers, Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) will be leveraging the Rail–Coal Synergy by observing 'Rail–Coal Week' through 1st to 7th January 2019. This will be a component of 'Coal Despatch Fortnight' to be observed from 1st to 15th January 2019. The plan is to put all out efforts to augment and maximize coal despatches from WCL mines through Rail, Road and other modes. Rail-Coal Week being organized for the first time in any Subsidiary of Coal India will help increase coal stocks in different linked Power Houses of WCL.
 
The major portion of railway rakes of WCL is despatched through Central Railway (CR) followed by South East Central Railway and South Central Railway. WCL has been given a target to despatch 28-29 rakes per day which is already being achieved. Now Company is aiming to despatch 32 rakes and more, in synergy by joining hands with three Railway Zones. Detailed discussions with senior officials especially Central Railway at Headquarters, Area and Siding level have already been done and Central Railway alone has assured to help WCL to load 28-29 rakes per day, out of 32 rakes planned from 1st January, 2019.
 
Rail-Coal Synergy has already helped WCL by successful commissioning of Crossing Stations at Umrer Area, and a similar facility at Wani Area. This was a joint effort duly funded by WCL and successfully implemented and commissioned by Central Railway (CR). With the commissioning of new facilities in both the Areas the number of rakes to be despatched from WCL from Umrer and Ghugus Sidings have substantially increased from 4-5 rakes to 7-8 rakes, and now it is being planned to touch 9-10 rakes from both the Sidings, which is helping in loading 32 rakes and beyond during Rail-Coal Week.
 
A similar exercise has also been done in consultation with South East Central Railway (SECR) through which 3 rakes on an average are being despatched and South Central Railway (SCR) despatches 1 rake per day. The contribution of despatches through Rail mode in the total dispatch of coal is above 60% in WCL, rest despatches are covered by Road mode, MGR, Belt and Ropeway.
 
During Coal Despatch Fortnight, the Company has made a plan to increase despatches from the current rate of 1.70 lakh tonnes per day to over 2.0 lakh tonnes per day. This will include 1.25 lakh tonnes per day by Rail mode and 75-80,000 tonnes per day by other modes.
 
WCL supplies coal to State Power Houses of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, Karnataka and Haryana and to other private power producers also through Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA), linkages and auctions. Higher coal despatch by WCL through different modes during the months of November and December this year have helped in increasing the coal stocks at Thermal Power Station end. By observing Rail-Coal Week as well Coal Despatch Fortnight, WCL will be able to provide sufficient quantities of coal to its linked Power Plants.
 
WCL has also started special auctions for power producers and spot auctions for other consumers from November onwards. All these factors shall help the Company in not only to achieve its target of despatches of 59.76 million tonnes (MT) fixed for the current year but also to surpass it by a comfortable margin.
 
Under 'Mission WCL 2.0', the Company is aiming to create history by reaching its highest ever production, despatch milestone by surpassing the targets fixed for the year 2018-19. Mission : WCL 2.0 implemented since June 2018 has helped in improving all fundamentals to achieve physical and financial targets of the Company.

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