A joint initiative by India’s ministries of steel, coal, transport and railways will shortly finalize the Sectoral Plan for Efficient Logistics (SPEL) aimed at reducing logistical costs for the steel industry, government sources said on Wednesday, November 22.
They said that under SPEL, an encompassing study has been completed, analysing supply and demand of steelmaking inputs like iron ore and coal requirements up to 2030, including preparation of a strategic plan for logistics required to handle such forecast volumes.
For example, the coal ministry has readied a plan for integrated coal evacuation under the Coal Logistics Policy 2023, wherein it states that costs of logistics in handling forecast coal transportation by rails could be cut by 14 percent.
It also envisages that reduction of lead times in coal handling by railways and diverting higher volumes from road to rail holds the potential to cut carbon emissions by 100,000 mt by 2030.