SECL Starts India’s First 21 CuM Electric Shovel at Gevra Mine in Korba
SECL has begun operating a 21 cubic metre electro-hydraulic face shovel, described as the first of its size in India, at the Gevra Mega Project in Korba, with an annual capacity of about 5.31 million cubic metres.
A 21 cubic metre (CuM) electro-hydraulic face shovel, described as the first of its size in India, has started operating at the Gevra Mega Project of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) in Korba, Chhattisgarh. The report was published on August 22, 2026.
SECL Chairman-cum-Managing Director Harish Duhan inaugurated the machine. SECL Director (Technical, Planning and Projects) Ramesh Chandra Mahapatra and other senior officials were present.
SECL estimates the shovel's annual output capacity at about 5.31 million cubic metres. The machine is expected to raise Gevra's coal production and improve the handling of overburden, the soil and rock that has to be removed to reach coal, as well as coal itself.
Gevra is one of India's major coal mines and is known as one of the largest in Asia.
The shovel includes several safety features: a 360-degree camera system, an operator fatigue monitoring system, a fire suppression system and a secure operator cabin. SECL says the aim is to balance higher production with safety and operational efficiency through modern mining technology.
Korba is central to the country's coal and power supply, and large machines of this kind shape both output and employment in the mining belt. Whether the new shovel meets its capacity target will be visible in SECL's production figures in the coming quarters.
Large equipment of this kind is meant to raise coal output and lower the cost of moving overburden at big opencast projects. Korba is one of the country's main coal-producing districts, and mines such as Gevra supply power plants across several states. The performance of the shovel over the coming months will show whether the stated capacity is reached in daily operations.
