Date | May 21, 2017:

Coal India Limited (CIL) chairman Sutirtha Bhattacharya said time has come for the state-run unit to explore feasible diversification plans to enter into the renewable energy sector to become more competitive in the market.

“We have to be more competitive in the energy market while opportunities of diversification have to be explored, said Bhattacharya during a visit to the headquarters of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a subsidiary of CIL, at Burla, Sambalpur on Saturday.The CIL chairman said MCL has a capacity and the potential to achieve big targets by optimum capacity utilisation and taking advance actions for environment, forest and other statutory clearances.

As per the release of MCL, the chairman, who inspected mining activities at the Ib Valley Coalfields in Odisha, also chaired a review meeting with the top management officials and area general managers and also held a special meeting with young Coal India officers at the MCL headquarters and held a discussion on the outlook of energy sector in the country.

MCL has been given a target to produce 160 million tonne coal during the 2017-18 fiscal, as against 139 million tonne produced during the year ended March 31, 2017.

Complimenting MCL workers for their contributions in providing energy security to the nation, the chairman said the company has a potential to achieve higher targets, for which optimum capacity utilisation is need of the hour, the release read.

Bhattacharya also emphasised on taking advance actions on environment and forest clearances for mining.

(Source: https://odishatv.in/)