Singrauli is the energy capital of India. The area retains one billion tonnes of coal reserves. As a result, huge thermal power plants came up here. Coal mining is the major income earner for the residents.
It emerged as the power hub of India, especially for coal and electrical power. The place is locally known as Urjanchal (meaning the land of energy in Hindi).
Getting to Singrauli
The mining town is in Madhya Pradesh and close to its border with Uttar Pradesh. The nearest airport is Varanasi (195 km) which is across the border in Uttar Pradesh. The road trip from Varanasi to Singrauli via SH5A takes up 5 hr 15 min (232 km).
An inter city Shaktinagar MEMU Express 13345 (unreserved) connects Varanasi (BSB) and Singrauli (SGRL). It departs Varanasi station at 14:10 hrs and arrives at the destination at 20:36 hrs. A ticket in ac chair car costs Rs. 335. Direct trains run from Singrauli to Lucknow, Allahabad, Jabalpur, Kota, Guna, Jhansi, Gaya and Katni.
I travelled at night on the Singrauli-Ambikapur road. It passes through thickly forested areas in Chattisgarh. The road was badly lit and in poor condition. Avoid night travel on the route since Naxalite insurgents are active in the area.Singrauli to Ambikapur in Chattisgarh is 189 km (4 h 28 min) via Pratappur Road.
Coal Mining Equipment
I came across 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 at an average of 246 litres per hour, with a fuel economy of 0.1275 km/litre. With such enormous costs, the truck generally 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 massive size, cannot move with wheels or bulldozer tracks. They shift using hydraulically-operated feet which raise and lower, one at a time. This is why they are called walking drag lines.
History of Singrauli
Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, inaugurated Rihand Dam in January 1962. The dam across River Rihand has India’s largest reservoir (Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar). It serves critical roles in irrigation, power generation and drinking water supply in the region.
Afterwards rich coal deposits spread over an area of 2,200 sq km were discovered around the reservoir. Subsequently 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 thirteen coal mines in Singrauli. NCL is a part of Coal India which is the largest producer of coal in the world.
Singrauli has seven power plants. The largest of them is Vindhyachal Thermal Power Station which has an installed capacity of 4,760 MW. It is in Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh and the largest power station in India. The beneficiary states are Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Daman & Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli.
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