4.1 Regional and Promotional Exploration : Exploration of coal reserves in the country is carried out in two stages. In the first stage, Geological Survey of India (GSI) undertakes Regional Exploration, through their own funds, for locating potential coal bearing areas on a continuous basis. In order to supplement the efforts of Regional Exploration, services of GSI and Mineral Exploration Corporation (MECL) were engaged for carrying out Promotional Regional Exploration out of the funds provided by MOC. Inter Departmental Steering Committee, in its meeting held on 2.9.99, has inducted CMPDI as the third agency in Promotional Exploration.

4.2 Detailed Exploration : In the second stage, Detailed Exploration is carried out in the potential blocks identified on the basis of promising results of Regional/Promotional Exploration. Such blocks are taken up for detailed drilling for proving coal deposits for the purpose of mine planning and exploitation of coal reserves for meeting the demand in different sectors.

Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Ltd. (CMPDI) directly as well as, in a limited manner, through Mineral Exploration Corporation (MECL), State Govts. and private agencies carry out detailed exploration in CIL command areas. CMPDI and MECL also conduct Detailed Exploration in Non-CIL blocks as per the approval of the Govt. The Detailed Exploration in the command area of SCCL is carried out departmentally by SCCL. Priorities of various projects/blocks, taken up for Detailed Exploration, are decided taking into account factors like emerging demand and its location, availability of infrastructure for coal evacuation and techno-economics of the mine development including coal quality.

4.3 Non-CIL Blocks : - Coal Companies of Coal India Ltd. (CIL) and CMPDI have identified blocks proposed to be retained by CIL to sustain a production level during 2006-07 (final year of X plan) for another 30 years i.e. upto 2036-37. These blocks retained by CIL are termed as CIL blocks. All other blocks, which have not been retained by CIL, are termed as Non-CIL blocks. A study was carried out to assess the total requirement of Detailed Drilling in Non-CIL blocks. A document titled Perspective Plan for Exploration for IX Plan in Non-CIL Blocks under the Command Areas of Coal India Ltd. was prepared in December 1997.

4.4 Promotional Exploration by CMPDI : CMPDI submitted a proposal to the Chairman, Sub-Committee on Coal & Lignite for taking up Promotional Drilling in Pakri-Barwadih and Tandwa-Magadh South blocks of North Karanpura coalfield. CMPDI proposed Promotional Drilling of 16,000m in 99-2000 and 17,000m in 2000-01. The proposal of CMPDI was discussed in 32nd meeting of the Sub-Committee held on 12.3.99. The Chairman of the Sub-committee referred the proposal to the Inter Departmental Steering Committee for a decision for inclusion of CMPDI for taking up Promotional Drilling.

Inter Departmental Steering Committee (IDSC) in its meeting held on 2.9.99 decided to induct CMPDI to undertake Promotional Drilling to the extent of 16,000m during 1999-2000. IDSC has also permitted CMPDI to conduct the Promotional Drilling upto 10% of the total drilling for the particular financial year in the CIL command area, in future.

INVENTORY OF COAL RESERVES OF INDIA

4.5 The coal reserves of India, upto the depth of 1200m, have been estimated by the Geological Survey of India as 2,11,593.61 million tonnes as on 1.1.2000. The state-wise distribution of coal reserves is as follows:

(Reserves in Million Tonne)

4.6 Categorisation of Reserves : Category-wise coal reserves of India as on 1.1.2000 as estimated by GSI are given below (at Table-A)

4.7 Position of coal reserves in the country during last 5 years is given at Annexure - I.

Exploration Activities

4.8 CMPDI continued its Detailed Exploration programme during '99-2000. The emphasis has been on proving power grade and superior grade Non-Coking coals and coking coal resources for Xth and subsequent plan periods. CMPDI has taken up Promotional Drilling from October '99 in Pakri-Barwadih and Tandwa-Magadh South blocks of North Karanpura coalfield.

DRILLING :

4.9 For the purpose of Detailed Exploration, CMPDI has largely deployed its own drilling resources. The resources of MECL, State Govts. of M.P. & Orissa and of private agencies are deployed in a limited manner. The monthly average number of drills deployed by all agencies during the period April to December 1999 was 59 to 62.

4.10 The detailed exploration activities have been conducted in 87 blocks spread over 18 coalfields in the states of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, M.P., Maharashtra and Orissa. Two more blocks have been taken up for Promotional Drilling in North Karanpura coalfield of Bihar.

* Including coals of North Eastern Region.

11. During the period April to December 1999, a total drilling of 1,48,837m has been carried out for Detailed Exploration in coal. Agency-wise performance of drilling during the period April to December '99 is given below (at Table-A)

4.12 During the period under report, CMPDI drills have recorded a productivity of 321 metre, per drill, per month. The overall productivity per drill per month for all agencies has been 270m.

4.13 Coal Company command area wise and agencywise details of drilling for coal during April to December 1999 are given in the table below (at Table –B)

* MECL has drilled 5480m (say 5500m), during 98-99 from the allocation of 12,500m of 99-2000. Therefore, the target of MECL was 7,000m to be completed by June '99.

** Drilling by CMPDI includes 2071m of Promotional Drilling and 2960m of Detailed Drilling in Non-CIL Blocks.

Table-B

Table-B continued)

*Balance target for 99-2000 is 7500-5500 = 2000m since 5480m has been drilled by MECL in 98-99 in advance.

**Includes 2071m of Promotional Drilling and 2960m of Detailed Drilling in Non-CIL Blocks.

4.14 Drilling Progress in Non-CIL Blocks : With a view to utilising balance fund of Rs. 0.42 crores and in anticipation to the approval of the Govt., CMPDI conducted Detailed Drilling in Non-CIL blocks during Sept. to November '99 and achieved a drilling progress of 2,960m at an estimated cost of Rs. 72.56 lakhs as detailed below at Table -A

4.15 Apart from detailed exploratory drilling, CMPDI has carried out 5,397m of non-coring blast hole drilling for production support work in CCL area.

4.16 Promotional Drilling by CMPDI : CMPDI has started Promotional Drilling by deploying 2 drills of Barkagaon camp in Pakri-Barwadih block w.e.f. 9.10.99 and two drills of Tandwa camp in Tandwa-Magadh South block from November '99. During the months of October and December '99, 2071 metres of Promotional Drilling has been conducted as detailed below at Table-B

Table-A

(A) Geophysical logging : The following tasks have been completed :

(B) The following surface Geophysical Surveys have been carried out:

A total of 20 Geophysical Reports were submitted upto December 1999.

(C) S&T Projects :

(I) In Seam Seismic Survey (CE-21) :

The equipment was procured from M/s. China National Coal Equipment Import & Export (CME, China) and after testing for intrinsic safety by CMRI and permission by DGMS, the equipment was deployed for carrying out In Seam Seismic survey in Moonidih mine of BCCL and Jhanjhra project of ECL during August 1998 and July 1999 respectively. Interim Report was submitted to MoC in February 1999.

The project has been completed and the Final Report has been submitted in September 1999 and was considered by SSRC at its meeting held on 24.11.1999.

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) application for locating old/abandoned working (MT110):

This project has been undertaken bv National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM) in association with CMPDI to apply GPR technique to map the extent of old working around existing mines, determination of coal working from the surface etc.

Prototype equipment is under fabrication at NIRM and field test trial will be undertaken shortly.

4.18 Following hydrogeological studies were taken-up :

i) Environmental data generation in Opencast Mines of Korba coalfield in SECL,

ii) Hydrogeological survey to study the decline of ground water due to mining operations in and around NCL areas,

iii) Hydrogeological study to establish the groundwater inflow into the mine and need for advance dewatering in Baranj Block of WCL

4.19 The S&T project titled "Optimal Extraction of Coal Locked in Pillars Underneath Aquifers and Fragile Ecology" in Piparia-Johilla area of SECL has been sanctioned by MOC with a capital outlay of Rs.3.30 crore and US $ 34,000. The project is under implementation by CMRI, SECL and CMPDI. The outlay for CMPDI is Rs. 81 lakhs

and time schedule is two years.

About 30% of the work has been completed which includes establishment and monitoring of Hydrograph stations and mine inflow studies.

The following jobs were completed :

4.21 PETROGRAPHY LABORATORY

(A) The following jobs were completed :

(B) S&T Project (CE-26) :- "Development of methodology for characterization of Indian coals by computer aided petrography image analysis". The imported equipment has been procured and installed. Sample collection and conventional petrography studies have been completed. Computer aided petrography studies are under progress.

(C) CIL’s R&D Project :- "Resource Survey, Characterization and Blending Studies of Low-volatile coking coal for their use in steel industry". The procurement of equipment is in process. Laboratory scale washability studies of all samples were completed. Petrography and chemical tests of all raw and clean coal samples from East Bokaro Coalfield and Jharia Coalfield were completed. Petrography studies of fine coal samples have been taken up.

4.22 REMOTE SENSING

Completed Projects :

Following projects have been completed.

1. Land use/cover mapping of Mand-Raigarh Coalfield (on 1:50,000 scale) based on satellite data of the year 1988 and 1998 for creation of environmental data base.
2. Large scale (1:10,000) thematic mapping based on remote sensing data of Korba Coalfield.
3. Sodic land mapping of Allahabad district, Uttar Pradesh (on 1;50,000 scale) based on satellite data is completed for Remote Sensing Application Centre (RSAC), U.P. Govt. in connection with their on-going sodic land reclamation project.
4. Land use mapping of buffer zones of Orient Group of Underground Mines, viz. 1&2, 3, 4; Hingir-Rampur Colliery and Hirakund-Bundia of Ib Valley Coalfield.
5. Geostructural mapping of Meenakshi block, Ib Valley CF (on 1:10,000 scale) based on IRS-1D & TM satellite data for coal deposit modelling.

   Project under progress :

6. Thematic mapping of Talcher CF (on 1:50,000 scale) based on satellite data of the year 1989, 1994 and 1999 is under progress for Regional EMP.
7. Landuse mapping of Bisrampur CF, Nakia area ( on 1:50,000 scale), Sohagpur CF ( on 1:25,000 scale) and Lakhanpur, Tatapani-Ramkola, Amadand sub-basin & south central part of Korba Coalfield ( on 1:10,000 scale) of South Eastern Coalfield is under progress for creating the environmental data base.

DOCUMENTATION:

4.23 A total of 20 Geological Reports have been submitted by CMPDI and MECL during the period April to December 1999. This includes 4 Interim Geological Reports for Non-CIL Blocks where further drilling is required to prepare the Final Geological Reports.

RESERVE ESTIMATION:

4.24 The 16 Final Geological Reports prepared so far have established a reserve base of 1.72 billion tonne of Non-coking coal, of which 1.41 billion tonne are under "Proved" category and 0.31 billion tonne are under "Indicated" category. Out of 1.72 billion tonne, 1.68 billion tonne are Non-Coking coal.

COAL BED METHANE

4.25 The demonstration project titled "Coal Bed Methane Recovery and Commercial Utilization" has been approved by the Govt. of India on 15.9.99, under the S&T plan of Ministry of Coal. The project with an estimated cost of Rs. 75.86 crores is being funded jointly by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Govt. of India (GoI). The duration of Project is 5 years. The Project is to be completed by CMPDI and BCCL. The zero date for starting the project is 15.9.99.

The project is to be implemented at the Sudamdih and Moonidih mines of BCCL. The CBM office has started functioning. Detailed list of manpower has been identified. Panel for training of executives has been prepared.

GEOSYSTEM

4.26 Conservation and Development Advisory Committee at the meeting held on 19.2.99, decided that a Digital Map Data Base showing Forest cover in the Godavari Valley Coalfield in the Command Area of SCCL should be prepared by CMPDI/SCCL. Project at an estimated cost of Rs.27.84 lakhs was approved for completion by February 2000.

The maps of the Godavari Valley Coalfield comprising 11 (eleven) coal belts and 5 Forest Survey maps were processed, and data base was created, jointly by CMPDIL and SCCL. Preparation of final report is initiated. The Project is on schedule.

Back