Recently, the union government of India approved the continuation of the central sector plan ‘Exploration of Coal and Lignite scheme’ with an estimated expenditure of ₹2,980 crore.
About Exploration of Coal and Lignite Scheme:
- The period for the extension is from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
- Under this scheme, exploration for coal and lignite is conducted in two broad stages: (i) Promotional (Regional) Exploration and (ii) Detailed Exploration in non-Coal India Limited blocks.
- Benefits of the scheme
- This scheme is required to prove and estimate coal resources available in the country, which helps in preparing detailed project reports to start coal mining.
- The geological reports prepared through these explorations are used for auctioning new coal blocks, and the cost is thereafter recovered from successful allocatee.
What are the types of Coal?
- Anthracite: It contains the highest amount of carbon out of all coal ranks (86%-97%) and it is used mostly in industrial settings and the metals industry due to its high heat value.
- Lignite: it is lighter in colour than the higher ranks of coal. It has the lowest carbon content out of all the coal ranks (25%-35%) and it has a high moisture content and crumbly texture.
- Bituminous: It has slightly lower carbon content than anthracite (45%-86%)1. The wide range of carbon content in bituminous coal warrants uses for both electricity and steel production.
- Peat: It is the starting stage of a coal formation which has low calorific value and low carbon content.