By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, MAR 06, 2024: CHHATTISGARH-based Coal India subsidiary South Eastern Coalfield Limited's Gevra mine is set to become the largest coal mine in Asia. The mine has been granted environmental clearance to expand production capacity to 70 million tons per annum from the current 52.5 million tons.

The development has been made possible with the rigorous efforts of the Ministry of Coal by coordinating with the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in achieving the environment clearance of 70 million tons in record time, keeping in mind the role of Gevra as one of the megaprojects of SECL, in meeting the energy needs of the nation.

'Under the guidance of Ministry of Coal, a historic milestone has been achieved by Coal India team today. We have a vision for Gevra to become the largest coal mine in the world with state-of-art mining operations and this is a significant milestone towards that journey." said Prem Sagar Misha, CMD, SECL on the occasion.

SECL management thanked the Ministry for their support in securing the EC for the Gevra mine and said this is a historic day for us that SECL and the state of Chhattisgarh will soon be home to the largest coal mine in Asia. He also expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for their support and swift action in granting the EC, as well as to the agencies of Centre and State and the Chhattisgarh Government.

About Gevra

Gevra is one of the megaprojects of South Eastern Coalfields Limited and became the largest coal mine in the country last year with annual production for FY 22-23 reaching 52.5 million tons and has been contributing towards energy security of the country for more than 40 years. The mine has a strike length of around 10 KM and a breadth of 4 KM. Eco-friendly blast-free mining technology in the form of Surface Miner, Ripper Mining have been deployed in the mine and one of the highest capacityHEMM machines like 42 Cum shovel and 240-ton dumper combinationare used for overburden removal in the mine. It also has first-mile connectivity equipped with a conveyer belt, Silos and Rapid Loading System for swift and eco-friendly coal evacuation.