NEW DELHI: In India’s Chhattisgarh state, two of the world’s largest coal mines employ advanced “overburden removal” technology, as highlighted by the Indian Ministry of Coal. This technique involves using modern machinery to strip away layers of soil, stone, and similar materials to expose coal seams underground.
The Ministry stated that these mines utilize some of the largest and heaviest earth-moving equipment globally, including 240-ton dump trucks, 42-cubic-meter shovels, and vertical rippers designed for eco-friendly overburden removal. Unlike traditional methods involving noisy and environmentally disruptive blasting, these machines at the Gevra and Kusmunda opencast mines can extract coal efficiently without the need for blasting.
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According to information from the Ministry, WorldAtlas.com has recognized these mines as ranking second and fourth among the world’s largest coal mines. Together, they have an impressive annual production capacity of 100 million tons of coal. Both mines are operated by South Eastern Coalfields Limited, a government-run entity.
This development underscores India’s significant role in global coal production and its adoption of innovative mining technologies to enhance efficiency and reduce environmental impact. The use of advanced machinery not only increases productivity but also minimizes disruption to local ecosystems and communities compared to conventional mining methods involving explosives.
