In an effort to accord high priority to environment-friendly mining practices, Coal India Ltd (CIL) has introduced satellite surveillance of its open cast mines. The satellite imageries and the related surveillance data - to be updated regularly - are available on the Web for public scrutiny. The company has also made "environmental mitigation records" the second most important parameter, after production targets, in the annual performance report of its managers, "In the past, the .managers, despite having poor record in meeting the land reclamation-at the open cast mines as well as afforestation targets, could rise to the topmost positions in the organisation. It will no longer be possible in the new regime, as non-fulfilment of the environmental responsibilities would go against his performance records," Mr Partha S. Bhattacharyya, CIL Chairman. On the satellite surveillance, he said 35 large open cast projects operated by the company had been brought under scrutiny in 200940. "We are going to extend the surveillance to 14 more large mines in 2010-11 covering nearly 80 per cent of the total open cast production in the country. All the 172 open cast projects will be brought under the surveillance in three years," Mr Bhattacharyya added. According to him, the available reports suggest that overall the company is on target in meeting the land reclamation and afforestation targets. "In fact, we have planted or raised more trees than we destroyed due to mining in a number of large mines. Northern Coalfields is the best performer in this regard. The subsidiary has also done biological reclamation of land," he said. The company is also introducing more stringent norms in land reclamation. As against the past practice of leaving huge hillocks (created out of overburden material) behind, according to the new initiative, the company will leave behind plain lands and water, bodies with an aim to replant the top-soil cover, so that the land can be used for farming. The water bodies to be created (in the mined land) will enhance the groundwater resource for use of the wider society. A quick comparison of! available data show that plantation areas have increased substantially in the last three years in major mines such as Ashoka and Piparwar of Central Coalfields; Gerva and Dip-ka in South Eastern Coalfields. NCL has created the largest forest covers in the mining areas.    

Note:  The Principal Order was notified vide S.O.  2173 (E), dated the 9th September, 2008 which was subsequently amended vide Order published in the Official Gazette vide  S.O. 438 (E), dated 10th February, 2009.                                          

CHANGE IN EXPECTATIONS
"The market has turned now so the price expectations may have changed," he said. The market will now keep an eye on developments on the annual price negotiations between Australian producers and Japanese utilities, as both parties gear up for preliminary talks expected to kick off later this month. Producers are likely to ask for between $95-100 a tonne, while Japanese buyers could hold out for about $85, trade sources said.    

The Naveen Jindal-controlled Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) is in the race to acquire a major¬ity stake in Zimbabwe Iron & Steel Company (Ziscosteel) -- the largest steelworks in the African country. JSPL is pitted against ArcelorMittal, the only other suitor for the company. Ac¬cording to JSPL sources, the qualifying round has con¬cluded. Following this, due dili¬gence will be done and then the bids will be submitted.Ziscosteel is 89 per cent owned by the government of Zimbabwe, which is looking to divest a 60 per cent stake as part of its privatisation pro¬gramme. It is not clear how much the deal would fetch the government of Zimbabwe. Ziscosteel has a capacity of a million tonnes and is a facility for long products (used in the construction sector). In¬dustry sources said a green-field facility of the same ca¬pacity would cost anywhere from $600 million (Rs 2,782 crore) to $1 billion (Rs 4,638 crore), depending on the na¬ture of integration. However, Ziscosteel has a debt of around $300 million (Rs 1,390 crore). The plant stopped operations in 2008 once the economic crisis broke out, as it was operating at less than break-even capacity. Apart from the steelworks, Ziscosteel also owns an iron ore mine in Zimbabwe. JSPL has been scouting for raw ma¬terial assets. The company will be investing $2.1 billion (Rs 9,736 crore) on building plants for steel, pellet and sponge iron, as well as a power plant in Bo¬livia, where it acquired de¬velopment rights for 20 billion tonnes of iron ore in 2007. In Mozambique, the company is engaged in coal and chromite exploration and in Madagas¬car for limestone.The company was also in the fray for Australian coal firm, Rocklands Richfield. While some of the raw ma¬terial would be used for inde¬pendent projects close to the mines, a part of it could be used to cater to Indian plants' needs. Plans are afoot to set up a seven-million-tonne steel plant and a 1,600-Mw power plant in Chhattisgarh, an 11-million-tonne steel plant and a 2,600-Mw power plant in Jharkhand, and a 12.5-million-tonne steel plant and a 2,600-Mw power plant in Orissa, The combined investment in the three states would be around Rs 96,000 crore. Spiralling raw material costs and delays in mine al¬location in India have pushed most of the companies to scout for resources overseas. India has approximately 23.59 bil¬lion tonnes of iron ore scat¬tered across states like Jhark¬hand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Goa. Of this, only 6.3 billion tonnes is proven reserves.Provens reserves of coking coal -- which accounts for 50 per cent of raw material costs for steel producers -- stand at 4.6 billion tonnes, but the quality of Indian coking coal is not suitable for making steel.