DGMS EARLY REPORT NAILS ECL, MAHALAXMI
Initial reports by the five-member enquiry committee, constituted by Director General of Mines Safety (DGMS), to probe into the Lalmatia mines accident, has said that it was a case of absolute negligence by Eastern Coalfields Limited and despite several warnings and indicatives, mining process was resumed resulting into the accident claiming at least 18 lives so far.
“As per initial reports gathered from the site by the inquiry committee, it appears to be a sheer case of negligence on the part of Eastern Coalfields Limited and Mahalaxmi Company as no adequate measures were taken to ensure the security of the workers,” said DGMS Rahul Guha. Despite several indicatives and warnings, the mining process was resumed on the site, he added.
The mining operation, which forms a part of the Eastern Coalfields Limited’s Rajmahal Opencast Project, was outsourced to Mahalaxmi Company. Mining process reportedly, was resumed barely three days before the accident took place.
“Although, it will take at least a month’s time for the report to come, the mining process, however, has been put on hold. Anything could be said only after the final report reaches to us,” said the DGMS.
Guha added that the five-member panel will examine the cause of the accident, human failure, if any, whether the accident could have been avoided by taking identified corrective measures.
“The panel will also examine measures that can be taken to avoid recurrence of such accidents in the future in Rajmahal OCP and other open cast mines of CIL with similar workings,” Guha said.
Meanwhile, rescue operations are going on round the clock and 18 bodies have so far been recovered so far.
“A total of 18 bodies have been recovered so far from the mining site while the rescue operations are still being conducted round the clock,” said Godda SP Hari Lal Chauhan. “An FIR has been lodged against the Mining Manager of ECL, officials of Mahalaxmi Company and several others,” he added. Several people were trapped inside the Bhodai opencast coal mines at Rajmahal area of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) in Godda district after a huge pile of Over Burden (OB) dump collapsed on Thursday last.
Officials said that a large heap of OB dump caved in at the entry point of the coal mine at around 7:30 pm when approximately 40 mining workers were on the site. Locals also claimed that there was a crack in the heap of mud which collapsed and blocked the entry point of the mine. Mining activities were started here merely three days back which
DGMS early report nails ECL, Mahalaxmi was kept on hold for the last six months after cracks were spotted in the area, they added.
Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are working hard round the clock to trace out the bodies of the remaining workers.
“As many as five teams of NDRF from Patna have also been roped in along with the team of local administration to assist the ECL,” said Godda DC Arvind Kumar.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dgms-early-report-nails-ecl-mahalaxmi.html
Panel on Lalmatia colliery mishap to submit report in a month
The high-powered panel set up to examine the cause of CIL arm Eastern Coalfields' opencast coal mine collapse at Lalmatia, Jharkhand will submit its report in a month.
The high-powered committee under the chairmanship of the CMD of Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI), consultancy arm of Coal India LtdBSE 0.05 % (CIL), "shall submit its report within one month," the coal PSU said in a memorandum.
The six-member panel would examine the cause of the accident, human failure, if any, whether the accident could have been avoided by taking identified corrective measures, it said.
The panel would also examine measures to avoid recurrence of such accidents in future in Rajmahal OCP and other Open Cast mines of CIL with similar workings, it added.
According to an ECL official so far 18 dead bodies have been recovered from the site of collapse.
R R Mishra, officiating CMD of ECL had yesterday said, "We are carrying on the rescue operation in a systematic manner so that the situation does not aggravate as the debris is too much and it should not fall."
Danger zones have been declared around the place of incidents to restrict the entry of people there. Moreover, police and CISF officials have been stationed to restrict entry of people in the danger zone, he had said.
Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDIL) has deployed magneto meters along with imaging system for locating magnetic and conductive material up to a depth of 80 meters.
The incident occurred at around 7.30 PM on December 29 when a massive mound of earth came crashing down on excavators at Lalmatia open cast coal mine of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL), the worst such disaster in over a decade.
The rescue operations were launched immediately after the incident.
CARE REAFFIRMS THE RATINGS ASSIGNED TO THE BANK FACILITIES OF AMBEY MINING PVT. LTD.
Rating Rationale
The rating of AMPL continues to derive strength from the rich experience of the promoters with long track record in the area of mining, effective maintenance of large fleet of heavy equipment as well as impressive client portfolio backed by healthy order book position and satisfactory financial risk profile. The ratings are however, constrained by volatility in the fuel prices, risk of delays in project execution amidst regulatory nature of the mining sector and competition from unorganised sector.
Ability of the company to improve its overall performance by securing repeated orders from its existing set of customers through timely and successful completion of contracts, significant debt funded capex and any regulatory changes in the mining sector will remain the key rating sensitivities.
Background
Ambey Mining Private Ltd (AMPL), incorporated in 2005 and promoted by Mr. Narayan Prasad Agarwal provides a wide array of services in the mining sector like site leveling, excavation, evacuation, surface mining, drilling & blasting, transportation of overburden and coal. Currently, the day-to-day operations of the company are looked after by Mr. Avishek Agarwal, MD and Mr. Saurabh Gupta (CFO), having rich business experience of over a decade. AMPL earned PBILDT and PAT of Rs.88.4 crore and Rs.31.3 crore respectively on Total Operative Income of Rs.410.6 crore in FY16 as against PBILDT and PAT of Rs.64.3 crore and Rs.24.0 crore respectively on a Total Operative Income of Rs.404.7 crore in FY15. During half year ended Sep. 30, 2016, the company has achieved a turnover of ~Rs.200 crore.
http://www.careratings.com/upload/CompanyFiles/PR/AMBEY%20MINING%20PVT.%20LTD.-12-26-2016.pdf
159 coal mine accidents in 3 years: Some stark numbers from below the
About 17 people were killed and approximately 30 are still trapped when a coal mine at Rajmahal Area, Jharkhand collapsed last Thursday night.
The mine belongs to Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) and is situated in Godda district.
While rescue operations are still on, the Union and state government has been swift in announcing compensation. Unfortunately, this still serves as a stark reminder that mine accidents are common in India. Here is a snapshot of the mine accidents that have taken place in India:
159
- Number of fatal accidents that took place between 2013 and June 2016 in India.
- Most of these accidents (39) happened at South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), which are situated in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. SECL, a subsidiary of Coal India, is the largest coal producing company in India.
- Next in line Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a subsidiary of Coal India, where 30 accidents took place during this period. Most of their mines are located in Jharkhand and West Bengal.
- North Eastern Coalfields (NEC), based out of Assam, seems to be the safest of mines with no accidents.
166
- Number of people who died in all these accidents during this period.
- However, number of fatal accidents and deaths have been slowly reducing over the years.
- Apart from NEC, Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL), based out of Odisha, is another safe mine, where only five accidents have taken place between 2013 and June 2016, leading to a loss of five lives.
- Some prominent state-owned coal companies in India include ECL, SECL, BCCL, NEC, MCL, Central Coalfields Limited, Northern Coalfields Limited, Western Coalfields Limited and Coal India Limited.
401
- Number of person against whom disciplinary action were taken after Internal Safety Organisation inquiries. This includes mine officials.
- "Investigations of fatal mine accidents are conducted by the ISO instructions to identify the causes and circumstances leading to those mine accidents and also to fix responsibility for those accidents. In certain cases, the law enforcing agency / regulatory authority under the Mines Act,1952 i.e. the Director General of Mine safety (DGMS) under the aegis of Ministry of Labour & Employment (MOLE) also conducts the statutory investigation," said Piyush Goyal in August, 2016.
Rs 5,00,000
- Relief package paid in case of fatal accidents.
- Additionally, employment is given to kin of the deceased, funeral expenses are paid, and benefits under life cover scheme of Rs 112,800, as per the National Coal Wage Agreement.
- An ex-gratia amount of Rs 84,600 is also paid in case of death or permanent disablement, apart from gratuity on the basis time of service, provident fund according to Coal Mines Provident Fund and encashment of earned leaves and pension as per Coal mines Pension Scheme 1998.
4
- The number of steps and precautionary methods that the government takes to fight coal mine accidents
1. Manual loading and transportation of coal eliminated by mechanised drilling, loading and transportation
2. Installation of Continuous Environment Monitoring System in gassy coal mines to give forewarning of any accumulation of inflammable gas.
3. Steps to improve the skills of the operators and competent persons using most modern training aids like simulators, 3D Artificial Intelligent Audio-Visuals.
4. Workers participation and sensitization in matters of safety through training campaigns and promote and propagate safety awareness in mines.
Thursday's accident show that the government's efforts are not working. India stands 2nd in terms of deaths per billion tonnes of coal produced, right after China, where nearly 250 people die for producing per billion tonnes of coal. In India, the number is less than 150.
Solar could beat coal to be the cheapest power on earth
Solar power is now cheaper than coal in some parts of the world. In less than a decade, it’s likely to be the lowest-cost option almost everywhere.
In 2016, countries from Chile to the United Arab Emirates broke records with deals to generate electricity from sunshine for less than 3 cents a kilowatt-hour, half the average global cost of coal power. Now, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Mexico are planning auctions and tenders for this year, aiming to drop prices even further. Taking advantage: Companies such as Italy’s Enel SpA and Dublin’s Mainstream Renewable Power, who gained experienced in Europe and now seek new markets abroad as subsidies dry up at home.
Since 2009, solar prices are down 62%, with every part of the supply chain trimming costs. That’s help cut risk premiums on bank loans, and pushed manufacturing capacity to record levels. By 2025, solar may be cheaper than using coal on average globally, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
“These are game-changing numbers, and it’s becoming normal in more and more markets,” said Adnan Amin, International Renewable Energy Agency ’s director general, an Abu Dhabi-based intergovernmental group. “Every time you double capacity, you reduce the price by 20%.”
Better technology has been key in boosting the industry, from the use of diamond-wire saws that more efficiently cut wafers to better cells that provide more spark from the same amount of sun. It’s also driven by economies of scale and manufacturing experience since the solar boom started more than a decade ago, giving the industry an increasing edge in the competition with fossil fuels.
The average 1 megawatt-plus ground mounted solar system will cost 73 cents a watt by 2025 compared with $1.14 now, a 36% drop, said Jenny Chase, head of solar analysis for New Energy Finance.
That’s in step with other forecasts.
The solar supply chain is experiencing “a Wal-Mart effect” from higher volumes and lower margins, according to Sami Khoreibi, founder and chief executive officer of Enviromena Power Systems, an Abu Dhabi-based developer.
The speed at which the price of solar will drop below coal varies in each country. Places that import coal or tax polluters with a carbon price, such as Europe and Brazil, will see a crossover in the 2020s, if not before. Countries with large domestic coal reserves such as India and China will probably take longer.
China, the biggest solar market, will see costs falling below coal by 2030, according to New Energy Finance. The country has surpassed Germany as the nation with the most installed solar capacity as the government seeks to increase use to cut carbon emissions and boost home consumption of clean energy. Yet curtailment remains a problem, particularly in sunnier parts of the country as congestion on the grid forces some solar plants to switch off.
Sunbelt countries are leading the way in cutting costs, though there’s more to it than just the weather. The use of auctions to award power-purchase contracts is forcing energy companies to compete with each other to lower costs.
An August auction in Chile yielded a contract for 2.91 cents a kilowatt-hour. In September, a United Arab Emirates auction grabbed headlines with a bid of 2.42 cents a kilowatt-hour. Developers have been emboldened to submit lower bids by expectations that the cost of the technology will continue to fall.
“We’re seeing a new reality where solar is the lowest-cost source of energy, and I don’t see an end in sight in terms of the decline in costs,” said Enviromena’s Khoreibi.
Warm Regards
Anurag Singal
Sr Manager –Business Development
Essel Mining & Industries Ltd
14th Floor, Industry House
10,Camac Street –Kol-71
Ph: 033-30518415,9088026252
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