National Aluminium Company (Nalco) has sought an extension till March 2025 for the bridge linkage for Utkal D and Utkal E coal mines. This is because of inordinate delays in starting the production at the allotted blocks.

The production has not yet started because of the delays pertaining to obtaining forest and environmental clearances, land acquisition, revising boundary coordinates, apart from Covid pandemic-led factors in the last three years.

The issue will be presented at the meeting of the Coal Ministry’s Standing Linkage Committee (SLC) (Long Term), scheduled on 17 February 2023.

Nalco had obtained the mine opening permission for the Utkal D coal mine in May 2021, while the approved mining plan for Utkal D and E coal blocks were subsequently obtained in February 2022.

The SLC (LT) had granted bridge linkages from Coal India (CIL) to Nalco’s Unit 9 and 10 (120 MW each) captive power plants (CPP) in September, 2016. However, in December 2018, Nalco got the linkage extended up to up to March 2021, which was again extended up to March 2023.

Currently, Nalco has its captive Panchpatmali bauxite mine for the pit head Alumina refinery and an aluminium smelter operational at Koraput and Angul respectively in Odisha.