West Bengal Eyes Underground Coal Gasification At Deocha-Pachami Block

The West Bengal government is exploring underground coal gasification in the 30% of the Deocha-Pachami block, where traditional open-cast and underground mining methods are unfeasible, a top official said on Monday.

The rest of the block, considered India's largest and the world's second-largest coal reserve, will be operated through open-cast and underground mining, he said.

The open-cast mining in parts of the block is set to commence in the first week of February, he said.

The mining development and operator, in the initial phase, will begin an exercise for removing overburden, the official said.

West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd. is the executing agency for mining at the Deocha-Pachami coal block in Birbhum district of the state.

"We are seriously exploring underground coal gasification possibilities and have already held several meetings with Indian and foreign experts," WBPDCL Managing Director P B Salim told PTI.

"According to our plan, 30% of the coal deposit will be extracted through open-cast mining, 40% through underground mining, and the remaining 30% via gasification. Gasification is the only way to tap the full potential of this mega coal block," he added.

The Rs 35,000-crore project is being touted as a game changer for Birbhum district.

Salim also stated that WBPDCL aims to proceed with the coal gasification project and mining operations simultaneously.

"For underground mining, we floated a global tender that has generated interest. As for gasification, the area under consideration spans around 1,000 acres," he said.

A senior WBPDCL official explained that a pilot project will be undertaken to assess the feasibility of underground coal gasification in parts of the block where coal is located at a depth of up to 400 metres.

"Once progress is made, we will seek the Centre’s approval and support," the official said.

Coal gasification is a new concept in India and the country, in a bid to enhance clean energy, has been promoting the technology to reduce carbon footprint.

The Union government has a policy to assist underground coal gasification projects.

Additionally, Coal India Ltd. and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. have signed an MoU for gasification initiatives at Mahanadi Coalfields in Odisha while CIL's Eastern Coalfields Ltd. and GAIL are working on coal gasification technology for a synthetic natural gas plant in West Bengal.

The Deocha-Pachami-Harinsingha-Dewanganj coal block, allocated to West Bengal in 2018, has an estimated reserve of 1,200 million metric tonnes of coal. However, basalt rock in the region poses significant challenges to open-cast mining.

To address this, the state government has appointed a mine developer and operator that will share 71% of the revenue from basalt rock mining with the government.

The state’s efforts to exploit the full potential of the Deocha-Pachami block could bring transformational changes to West Bengal's energy and industrial landscape.