As part of the move, the coal and power major has started operating on a part of Asia’s longest con-
veyor belt, which is 21 kilometers (km) long and 12 feet wide, to ferry coal from its Pakri-Barwadih mines in Hazaribag to the Banadag railway siding. From the Banadag railway siding, coal is transported to various destinations across the country.
The public relations executive at NTPC Hazaribag, Arpit Parashar, said the conveyor belt will reduce pollution by trucks, both in terms of gaseous emissions and dust.
“The coal conveyor belt passes through dense forest areas, but care has been taken not to disturb the environment and wildlife,” Parashar said. “The infrastructure of the coal conveyor belt is designed in an elevated pathway so that it will not affect the wildlife. The height of the belt near the wildlife corridor is 35 feet from the ground.”
This is the first time that the NTPC is using a conveyor belt to transport coal from its coal mine to the railway siding. So far, 6.5 km of the total length is operational and owned by Thriveni-Sainik Mining Pvt Ltd., a mining partner of NTPC. The remaining 14.5 km is owned by NTPC and trial runs are on.
NTPC officials said the efficiency of the mine-end coal handling plant (CHP) is 2,250 metric tons per hour (mtph) until the completed part of the belt and the efficiency of the second phase will be another 2,500 mtph. The mine-end CHP started delivering coal at the stackyard area since October 26, 2021. The trial run of the belts of one stream of the NTPC-owned portion has been conducted in November 2021 and the coal conveying would start very soon.
To manage the curves on the 21-km route, 10 transit points have been added. Thelength of the belt has been reduced, thereby increasing its efficiency. Each transit point has coal stacking facilities.
