Nagpur: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said all power plants in Maharashtra were in a “critical coal condition” and asked Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) officials to enhance supply. Without going into details about the coal numbers, Fadnavis said the solution may lie in the way natural resources like coal are being extracted.Fadnavis, while delivering the inaugural speech at the 36th National Convention of Mining Engineers and National Seminar in Nagpur, said he discussed the issue with Hemand Pande, CMD of WCL. “I told Pande that due to the increased demand, all our power plants are in a critical coal condition. I told him to supply us coal so that our power plants can work more efficiently,” he said.A senior WCL official told TOI that they are already supplying coal at record levels. “For Maharashtra, we have increased supply three times over the last year. We will do our best to ensure energy security of not only the state but also the country,” said the official, who did not wish to be identified.Fadnavis also said coal mining is shifting from mere mining to coal gasification, which has the ability to create a circular technology. “Carbon capture and use should be the ultimate goal. When we reach that level, it is going to reshape our entire economy,” he said.On Vidarbha’s role in this shift, he said out of the first eight coal gasification projects in India under the new mission, four are being awarded in the region. “Vidarbha will be the new engine for coal gasification,” he said.The CM also pointed out that Gadchiroli district was becoming the steel capital of India. “Around 50 MTPA of steel capacity, with investment worth Rs 5 lakh crore, has been signed. Gadchiroli has the richest iron ore in the entire country. That is going to change the entire economy of Vidarbha, of Maharashtra and of our country and create huge employment,” he said.Fadnavis added that recently an MOU had been signed to bring clean gas-based technologies for steel making in Gadchiroli. “We want Gadchiroli to be at the forefront of the green steel revolution of India,” he said.On logistics, he said a dedicated freight corridor from JNPT and the new Vadhavan port through Samruddhi Mahamarg to Gadchiroli was being planned. “The entire export of value-added mining can be easily facilitated through this initiative,” he said.
