SECL adds another highwall miner from Gainwell Engineering at Sharda coal operation
On April 19, 2026, a new highwall mining machine was formally inaugurated at the Sharda Open Cast Mine (Sharda OCM), located in South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL)’s Sohagpur Area. SECL is part of state owned coal mining giant Coal India and is already experienced with highwall mining having used the method since the early 2010s including a previous machine supplied by Gainwell Engineering in 2019.
This highwall miner was also supplied by Gainwell who stated: “With an expected production life of nearly nine years, this advanced solution is set to enhance coal output, improve operational efficiency, and support safer, more streamlined mining practices. Built to unlock resources smarter and sustainably, the highwall miner shows our commitment to driving innovation on the ground.”
SECL says the initiative will promote the adoption of modern technology in the project. At the occasion, Area General Manager Shri BK Jena and General Manager (Operations) Shri Manish Kumar Srivastava were present along with departmental heads, officers, and employees.
The machine is a GHWM300M which Gainwell says can be tailored to mine coal seams as low as 762 mm or as high as 5,000 mm. Gainwell offers three electric cutter modules – low seam, mid seam and high seam. The cutter modules are interchangeable and quickly attached to the highwall mining system. The machine also offers fibre optic, gyro based navigation, enabling precise cutter module location data in real time. Operators benefit from enhanced steering and control of pillar width.
Gainwell adds that the GHWM300M produces high volumes of coal at very low costs. It is safer than traditional underground mining, as it sends no one underground, and it works economically with a small crew and very little support equipment. “It’s versatile in its mobility and application, and it produces large quantities of coal at inherent ash levels…the Gainwell highwall mining system offers an innovative and efficient method for extracting coal from exposed seams in a multitude of applications.”
The GHWM300M works on the pit floor or bench directly in front of the exposed seam. Up to 300 m long parallel rectangular drives are cut into the coal seam by means of the cutter head module and push beams. These push beams transport the cut coal internally via two counter rotating spiral/screw conveyors (augers) back to the entry of the drive and then onto a stockpile. The whole mining cycle is completed by a crew of 5 to 6 with no personnel ever going underground. The highwall miners are manufactured at Gainwell’s Asansol factory in West Bengal where it has made a series of major investments in recent years.
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