Coal India recently commissioned India’s first indigenously developed electric rope shovel at Nigahi Project of its subsidiary, Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh.

The handing-over and commissioning ceremony of this state-of-the-art shovel – manufactured by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) – witnessed the presence of Chairman, Mr. P.M. Prasad; Director (HR), Dr. Vinay Ranjan; Director (Technical), Mr. Achyut Ghatak; CMD, BEML, Mr. Shantanu Roy; CMD, NCL, Mr. B. Sairam; and senior management from Coal India, NCL, and BEML, both physically and virtually.

In his virtual address from Corporate Office in Kolkata, Chairman, Mr. Prasad, described the induction of this shovel into Coal India’s HEMM fleet as a significant step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

He also lauded the strong work culture at NCL and expressed confidence that the new machine would be utilized to its optimum capacity.

This 20-cubic-meter electric rope shovel features a robust high-tensile bucket and boom design, a fully air-conditioned ergonomic operator cabin, and an impressive annual production capacity of 4.45 million cubic meters.

It is also equipped with real-time monitoring and diagnostics with integrated safety and fault protection systems.