Singrauli is the energy capital of India. The area boats of one billion tonnes of coal reserves. As a result, huge thermal power plants have materialised here. Coal mining is the major income earner for the residents.
It is fast emerging as the power hub of India, especially for electrical power and coal. Therefore locally it is also known as Urjanchal (a Hindi word meaning the land of energy).
Location of Singrauli
The town is in Madhya Pradesh, close to the border with Uttar Pradesh. The nearest airport is Varanasi (195 km) which is across the border in Uttar Pradesh. The journey from Varanasi to Singrauli on State Highway SH5A takes up close to five hours. Singrauli to Ambikapur, Chattisgarh is 189 km (4 h 28 min) via Pratappur Road.
An Inter City Express connects Varanasi and Singrauli. It departs Varanasi station at 14:24 hours and arrives at the destination at 20:50 hours. A ticket in ac chair car costs Rs. 335. Direct trains operate from Singrauli to Lucknow, Allahabad, Jabalpur, Kota, Guna, Jhansi, Gaya and Katni.
I have travelled at night on the Singrauli – Ambikapur road. It passes through thickly forested areas in Chattisgarh. The road was in very poor condition. Avoid night travel on the route since Naxalite insurgents have a strong presence in the region.
Coal Mining Equipment
I found this massive truck on a Singrauli coal mine. The mining truck has a payload capacity of 360 tonnes. The truck consumes fuel in large quantities: an average of 65 gallons per hour. with a fuel economy of 0.3 mpg. With such huge costs, the truck usually functions round the clock, with stoppages only for scheduled maintenance.
I observed the walking drag line excavator in one of the mines. There are several active coal mines nearby. The mines are highly mechanised.
A ‘walking drag line’ is an excavator where the bucket is dragged by cables, rather than lifted by an arm. This permits the bucket to be much larger than those on shovels. Drag lines, because of their huge size, cannot move with wheels or bulldozer tracks. They stir using hydraulically operated ‘feet’, which raise and lower, one at a time. That is why they are called ‘walking‘ drag lines.
History of Singrauli
In 1962, the government inaugurated a dam across River Rihand which flows in close vicinity. Later rich coal deposits spread over an area of 2,200 sq km were discovered around the reservoir of the dam. Soon afterwards, coal mines and thermal power stations came up in Singrauli.
In May 2008, Singrauli became the 50th district of Madhya Pradesh. In recent times, the area has developed as an important centre of mining and industry.
Industries in India’s Energy Capital
Northern Coalfields (NCL) operates 13 coal mines in Singrauli. NCL is a part of Coal India which is the largest producer of coal in the world.
Singrauli has seven thermal power plants. The biggest of them is Vindhyachal Thermal Power Station which has an installed capacity of 4,760 megawatts. It is the largest power station in India
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