New Delhi, March 5 : Chhattisgarh-based Coal India subsidiary South Eastern Coalfield Limited's (SECL) Gevra mine is set to become the largest coal mine in Asia as it has been granted environmental clearance to expand production capacity to 70 million tons per annum from the current 52.5 million tons, the Coal Ministry said on Tuesday.

The Coal Ministry and the Ministry of Environment and Forests had fast-tracked the clearance for the expansion as Gevra is one of the megaprojects of South Eastern Coalfields Limited that contributes to the energy security of the country.

'Under the guidance of the Ministry of Coal, a historic milestone has been achieved by Coal India team on Tuesday. We have a vision for Gevra to become the largest coal mine in the world with state-of-art mining operations and this is a significant milestone towards that journey,' said Prem Sagar Misha, CMD, SECL.

Gevra became the largest coal mine in the country last year with annual production for FY 22-23 reaching 52.5 million tons.

The mine has a strike length of around 10 KM and a breadth of 4 KM. Eco-friendly blast-free mining technology in the form of Surface Miner, Ripper Mining have been deployed in the mine and one of the highest capacity HEMM machines like 42 Cum shovel and 240-ton dumper combination are used for overburden removal in the mine.

It also has first-mile connectivity equipped with a conveyer belt, Silos and Rapid Loading System for swift and eco-friendly coal evacuation.

/IANS