The Hindu Business Line : Tata Steel may rethink plan to export iron ore through Haldia

Not without reasons though. There has not been a single shipment so far in the current fiscal, while only one shipment of 11,000 tonnes was undertaken through the dock in 2004-05. More important, the private sector steel giant has started returning to the dock authorities the plots of lands it had taken on lease for storing iron ore prior to shipments.

In all, three plots, two within the dock and one outside, and each measuring about 3,000 sq metres, were taken on lease from the dock authorities. One of them has already been returned, it is learnt.

Thermal coal throughput coming down: Meanwhile, the declining trend in thermal coal throughput at Haldia dock for coastal shipments is causing concern to the dock authorities. After all, traditionally, thermal coal has been a major item of traffic of the dock. Over the year, the volume of thermal coal shipments for Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) by the coastal route has been showing a downward trend — 3.37 million tonnes in 2002-03, 3.19 mt in 2003-04 and 3.16 mt in 2004-05. If the trend so far in the current fiscal is any indication, the throughput for 2005-06 might be around three mt. Till November, it was around two mt.

Right now, TNEB is in no mood to receive large quantities of thermal coal by the coastal route. It is already holding a substantial stock of the coal. The thermal power generation has been at a low key in view of the good cushion provided by the hydel power as a sequel to heavy rainfall in the State. Also, reports have it that TNEB, taking cue from National Thermal Power Corporation, has started importing coal. To that extent, its dependence on domestic coal has come down. There is another reason. The availability of coal from the mines of Eastern Coalfields Ltd has been less than satisfactory. The actual availability so far in the current fiscal has always been less than the linkages. Thus, between April and June, the monthly linkage was 3.95 lakh tonnes but the availability varied between 3.3 and 3.5 lakh tonnes per month.

Similarly, the availability varied from 2.5 lakh tonnes and 2.6 lakh tonnes per month compared to the linkage of 3.5 lakh tonnes per month between July and September. In October and November, the availability was 2.94 lakh tonnes and 3.09 lakh tonnes respectively against the monthly linkage of 3.35 lakh tonnes for the October-December quarter.

Along with the Haldia dock authorities, South Eastern Railways too is believed to be upset at the declining trend in thermal coal throughput at Haldia as it entails movement of fewer rakes from the mines to the dock.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page