New Delhi: The government is working on a policy for the steel sector where the washery route will be applied as the end-route for coking coal thereby reducing the import dependence, M Nagaraju, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal said in New Delhi today.
"We are finalising the policy, once approved, we will be able to offer washed coking coal to the steel sector to blend with the imported coal," he added.
The washery route refers to the process of cleaning coal to remove impurities like soil, rock, and other non-coal materials.
This process, known as coal washing or coal beneficiation, improves the quality of the coal.
For coking coal used in steel production, washing helps produce cleaner and more efficient coal, which can then be used in steel plants.
By using the washery route, steel producers can rely more on domestic coal, reducing the need for imported coal.
Addressing the FICCI workshop on 'Coal Matrix for Indian Metals Industry', he stated that the government will set up 8 coking coal washeries to meet the demand of the steel sector.
"By 2029-30, we should have the capacity to produce as much as the country demands for coal and be in a position to supply the coal to other countries," he emphasised.
Speaking at the workshop, Ashwini Kumar, Economic Adviser, Ministry of Steel, Govt of India said that the Indian steel industry contributes around 2.5 per cent to GDP but has strong backward and forward linkages.
"There is a need to develop indigenous technology in coal gasification that will give a big boost to the sector. We can expect robust growth in the medium term in the global steel industry.
Despite a slowdown in the global steel industry, the Indian steel industry is in a healthy state, and we expect it to grow at a rate of 10 per cent," he added. (with Agency inputs)
