Even as quality issues have started cropping up with Coal India (CIL) enhancing supplies to the power sector, CIL says it has been able to achieve improved grade conformity even after the monsoons when there are increased chances of grade slippages.
A CIL executive told Fe that till August this year the grade conformity was 63%, up from 60% during the same month last year. But a section of power engineers are of the view that power plants’ present average 7 days stock position with around 13.4 million tonne have a lot of basalt and soil mixed in it. Such basalt mixed coal are preventing boilers’ optimum function and damaging those to some extend as well.
While they agree that the primary reason for grade variation is the inherent heterogeneous nature of Indian coal having difference in calorific value of coal extracted within the same seam at different points, they allege, many a official in charge of stock at the CIL pit heads are forced to mix basalt with coal for the purpose of over reporting.
