Bangalore, Dec 18: Public Sector Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) would produce modern equipment for underground mining in view of the expected rapid growth in coal mining activities to cater to ever growing energy needs of the country, company CMD V R S Natarajan said today.

Speaking to newspersons on the sidelines of a workshop organised by Standing conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) and ILO here, he said the coal production in the country was expected to grow four times to two billion MT per annum by the year 2025, from the present 400 MT.

"Coal India and other majors have charted huge expansion plans and take up underground mining in a big way. We now produce 150 to 360 tonne dump trucks meant for open mining in the coal sector. We want to acquire technology to produce equipment for the underground mining. Our focus will be on long haul vehicles," he said.

The CEO said BEML was also looking for tie up with a global major to produce medium speed train that can travel at a speed up to 200 kmph. "These trains would be introduced in Bangalore and Hyderabad to connect the city with new airports. We are trying for suitable technology to produce these metro bogies," he said.

Mr Natarajan said BEML was developing eight carriage metro trains in the broad gauge as a R and D product. This was suitable for expansion of Delhi Metro and the upcoming Bangalore Metro. At present the company had orders for 156 bogies worth Rs 1114 crore from Delhi metro and a further order for 36 coaches was in the pipeline. This would take the order size to Rs 1400 crore.

He said the company had an order book of Rs 3400 crore that had doubled during the last one year. The turnover, which was at present at Rs 3000 crore, would grow to Rs 5000 crore mark in by the year 2009-10. "This will be possible when we set up a green field plant to produce bogies for the proposed high speed fright corridors and the work for the plant is likely to begin in 2008-09. This plant would be producing 2000 bogies in all types, from metro to high speed bogies, per annum from the first year," he said without specifying where the plant would come up.


UNI