State-owned CIL on Thursday said it has inked a pact for purchase of 11 Russian rope shovels for nearly Rs 1,642 crore.
Electric rope shovels play a vital role in opencast mines for loading of material.
"In an ongoing process of modernising its ageing heavy earth moving machinery fleet, Coal India Ltd (CIL) on Wednesday closed a deal valued at nearly Rs 1,462 crore for purchase of 11 20-cubic metre electric rope shovels," the PSU said in a statement.
CIL tied up a contract with Iz-Kartex named after P.G.Korbokov Ltd, a Russian shovel manufacturing company for installation and commissioning of the shovels after it bagged the bid through participation in global competitive tender involving reverse auction.
Contract has been concluded considering life cycle cost of equipment with likely consumables and spares for a period of eight years.
"This is the first major equipment procurement finalised in the ongoing fiscal so far. We are fast tracking our procurement process in a bid to strengthen our mining equipment and replace the aging machines," CIL said.
The delivery of all the electric rope shovels would be concluded by September 2023.
All the newly contracted eleven rope shovels would be pressed into use in the opencast (OC) projects of CIL arm Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL).
While three each of the machines would be put into operation in Nigahi, Dudhichua and Jayant one each would be used in Khadia and Amlorhi. With already nine such shovels operational in NCL the latest acquisition would swell their number to 20.
"Each of the 20 Cu.M electric shovel is priced close to Rs 133 crore including the landed value of the equipment, spares and consumables for eight years," the statement said.
The first machine will roll out in NCL in June next year and thereafter at least one each every 45 days. The complete delivery is scheduled by September 2023 as per the contract.
