India’s Aviation & Steel Minister Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia told PTI in an interview that Indian government is preparing a Coking Coal Mission to diversify the sources and reduce dependence on imports for coking coal from 90% and increase use of locally available coal in the steel making through gasification process. Mr Scindia told PTI “We are in the process of making it. It is the coal ministry’s purview. The coal produced within the country has high ash content. Coal with high ash content is not suitable for steel making through the blast furnace route. So what we are looking at through the coking coal mission which is a two-fold view. Firstly, to diversify our coking coal sources & second is through coal gasification.Without naming any country, the Steel Minister said that India is looking to engage with a few nations to diversify coking coal sourcing. On coal gasification, he said the government is eyeing to set up a coal gasification plant with an annual capacity of 100 million tonnes. In a gasification process, coal can be converted into syngas which can be used in sponge iron making and it can further be utilized to make steel.India’s Commerce Minister Mr Piyush Goyal while speaking at the Third edition of ISA Steel Conclave in New Delhi separately urged steel industry to make best use of the India-Australia Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement, signed in June 2022, and look at capturing new opportunities in Australia. He said “Under the agreement, steel exports to Australia are duty free.”At present, India imports coking coal from countries like Australia, South Africa, Canada, and the US for sourcing of coking coal.
India’s Aviation & Steel Minister Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia told PTI in an interview that Indian government is preparing a Coking Coal Mission to diversify the sources and reduce dependence on imports for coking coal from 90% and increase use of locally available coal in the steel making through gasification process. Mr Scindia told PTI “We are in the process of making it. It is the coal ministry’s purview. The coal produced within the country has high ash content. Coal with high ash content is not suitable for steel making through the blast furnace route. So what we are looking at through the coking coal mission which is a two-fold view. Firstly, to diversify our coking coal sources & second is through coal gasification.Without naming any country, the Steel Minister said that India is looking to engage with a few nations to diversify coking coal sourcing. On coal gasification, he said the government is eyeing to set up a coal gasification plant with an annual capacity of 100 million tonnes. In a gasification process, coal can be converted into syngas which can be used in sponge iron making and it can further be utilized to make steel.India’s Commerce Minister Mr Piyush Goyal while speaking at the Third edition of ISA Steel Conclave in New Delhi separately urged steel industry to make best use of the India-Australia Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement, signed in June 2022, and look at capturing new opportunities in Australia. He said “Under the agreement, steel exports to Australia are duty free.”At present, India imports coking coal from countries like Australia, South Africa, Canada, and the US for sourcing of coking coal.
