New Delhi: State-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) is sharpening its focus on automated coal sampling as part of a broader effort to improve the quality and reliability of domestic coal supplies, the company said in a press release on Thursday.
CIL said it is increasingly routing coal despatches through silo-based mechanised loading systems integrated with auto mechanical samplers, a move aimed at minimising human intervention and reducing quality-related disputes with consumers. The company said the technology-led process ensures greater consistency in coal quality and strengthens confidence among bulk buyers, particularly power producers.
To ensure impartial quality assessment, Coal India continues to rely on independent third-party sampling agencies (TPSAs) empanelled by Power Finance Corporation Ltd. At present, 11 such agencies are authorised to carry out sampling and analysis at coal loading points of CIL’s subsidiary companies, with consumers free to choose an agency of their preference, in line with fuel supply agreement provisions.
Till December of the current fiscal, Coal India despatched around 375 million tonnes of coal by rail that was sampled by TPSAs. About half of this volume moved through silos equipped with automated samplers. The miner said it is targeting to raise the share of silo-based despatches to around 80% during the year, supported by the commissioning of new first-mile connectivity projects.
Based on sampling analysis by TPSAs and referee laboratories, CIL’s overall grade conformity improved to 85% till December, compared with 82% in the year-ago period. The company said further expansion of silo loading is expected to push conformity levels higher.
Coal India has also initiated online coal analysis at two of its subsidiaries to enable real-time quality assessment, as part of its push to enhance transparency. While noting the inherent heterogeneity of Indian coal, the company said the increasing deployment of technology in sampling and analysis has become a key focus area to address long-standing quality concerns.