Government to Offer Washed PCI Coal to Boost Steel Efficiency

The government is finalising a policy to offer washed PCI coal to steel makers, aiming to reduce imports and improve efficiency. The additional secretary of coal mentioned that by 2030, they plan to have 60 million tonnes of washed coking coal by setting up eight washeries.

The government is nearing the completion of a policy designed to supply washed PCI coal to steel manufacturers, with the goal of reducing imports and increasing industry efficiency, a senior official disclosed on Friday.

PCI (pulverized coal injection) coal is integral to steel production, serving as an auxiliary fuel to partially replace coke, thus enhancing plant efficiency and cutting carbon emissions.

"We are presently formulating a policy to wash and supply PCI coal specifically to the steel sector, aiming to curb import dependency," stated M Nagaraju, additional secretary, coal, at a workshop hosted by industry body Ficci.

At present, most of the country's steelmakers import PCI coal, a trend likely to rise to 20-30 million tonnes by 2030, Nagaraju added. Emphasizing the goal, he noted the government's plan to establish eight coking coal washeries to meet this burgeoning demand.

"By 2030, we aim to provide at least 60 million tonnes of domestically washed coking coal to the steel sector," Nagaraju said.

According to mjunction services, India's coking coal imports jumped to 57.22 million tonnes in FY24 from 54.46 MT in FY23, with PCI coal imports climbing to 16.69 MT from 15.69 MT the previous year.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)