Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has secured two new coal blocks with the support of the State government, and the acquisition of more mines in the coming days will further strengthen the company, SCCL Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Buddhaprakash Jyoti said.

Addressing the Independence Day celebrations at Prakasham Stadium in Kothagudem on Saturday, he said the company would use its renewed strength to serve the nation by ensuring adequate coal supplies to meet  the State’s power requirements.

The SCCL recently secured the mining lease for the long-awaited Tadicherla-II block, which has an estimated coal potential of around 340 million tonnes and could support mining operations for nearly 40 years.

The PKOC-2 Dipside Block, secured through auction, has around  120 million tonnes of coal reserves and is expected to boost development in the Manuguru and Kothagudem regions.

The SCCL has also obtained a licence for exploration of gold and copper minerals in the Deva Durga area of Karnataka and will commence exploration activities soon, he said.

Preparations are under way to explore rare earth elements in SCCL’s opencast mines. As part of these efforts, the Singareni Geo-Science Laboratory, established at Kothagudem, was recently inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.