Commercial Coal Mining

Govt allocates 3 more coal blocks for commercial mining activities

The government on Tuesday allocated three more coal mines under commercial mining to the successful bidders

Tata Power seeks regulator nod to raise tariffs and offset fuel cost surge

A spike in coal prices has increased cost of generation

Vedanta Ltd bags two coal commercial mines in e-auction in Odisha

Vedanta Ltd has emerged as the highest bidder for two coal mines in Odisha on the second day of commercial coal mines auction. The government put on sale 10 coal mines under the commercial coal mine auction on Tuesday and Wednesday. "On the 2nd day of the e-auction today , two coal mines were put up for auction of which both coal mines were MMDR coal mines," the coal ministry said in a statement. The blocks were auctioned under the second attempt of the fourth round of commercial coal mine auction. Both the coal mines are fully explored and have Peak Rate Capacity (PRC) of 20 million tonnes per annum. Jaiprakash Power Ventures had emerged as the highest bidder for a coal block in Madhya Pradesh on the first day of the auction of blocks on Tuesday. While Madhya Bharat Minerals had emerged as the highest bidder for a coal mine in Chhattisgarh, Avassa Ferro Alloys bid the highest for a mine in Maharashtra. Gangaramchak Mining was the highest bidder for a mine in Jharkhand whi

Coal ministry to e-auction 10 reserves on Sep 13 for commercial mining

Till now, the Coal Ministry has auctioned 43 coal mines with peak rate capacity of 85.4 million tonnes per annum

Production from captive, commercial coal mines rises 79% in June quarter

The production from captive and commercial coal blocks has increased by 79 per cent to 27.7 Million Tonnes (MT) in the June quarter. The coal ministry also expressed hopes that the targeted production of 32 MT from captive and commercial mines during the second quarter of FY23 will be achieved. "Production from coal blocks during the first quarter of financial Year 2022-23 was reviewed by the Additional Secretary and Nominated Authority, the Ministry of Coal on July 6, 2022 in the presence of project proponents. Coal production achieved during the first quarter is 27.7 MT which is 79 per cent higher than 15.5 MT coal produced during same period in FY 2021-22," the coal ministry said in a statement. The government also appreciated the efforts of coal blocks owners in achieving such high growth. Two coal blocks sold last year under commercial mines auction have become operational and produced 1.57 MT in the first quarter, it said. At present, a total of 36 captive and commercial min

Coal ministry seeks help from World Bank to re-purpose abandoned mines

Coal Ministry said it sought assistance from the World Bank and other global institutions for re-purposing its abandoned coal mines to make them stable and suitable for commercial purpose.

Coal ministry seeks inclusion of 5 mine pit lakes in Ramsar wetland list

The coal ministry on Wednesday said it approached the environment ministry for inclusion of five coal mine pit lakes in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh in the list of Ramsar sites. The list of Ramsar sites includes wetlands of international importance identified as per the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO, which came into force in 1975. Wetlands, often known as 'liquid assets', are crucial natural resources that help stabilise water supplies, cleanse polluted waters, protect shorelines and recharge groundwater aquifers. "The suitability of coal mine pit lakes for inclusion in Ramsar list was discussed with MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), the nodal ministry for identification of wetlands for placing on the Ramsar list," the coal ministry said in a statement. As per the guidance of MoEFCC, Coal India has identified five pit lakes situated in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh for

Govt receives 38 bids for commercial mines' auction, says Coal Ministry

The coal ministry on Monday said that it has received a total of 38 bids during three rounds of commercial coal mines' auctions. The online bids received as part of the auction process will be opened on Tuesday from 10 AM onwards in the presence of interested prospective bidders, coal ministry said in a statement. "The last date for submission of online technical bids for all the coal mines was 1200 hours on June 27, 2022 and offline submission was 1600 hours on June 27, 2022," it said. According to the coal ministry statement, a total of 28 offline bids were received against 15 coal mines under fifth tranche of commercial mines' auction. Under second attempt of third tranche, a total of nine coal mines were put up for sale and six bids have been received against them, the statement said. Under second attempt of fourth round, a total of four coal mines were put up for auctions and four bids have been received against three coal mines. The fifth round, second attempt of fourth and

Coal India production rises 28% in April-May at 108 million tonne

State-owned CIL on Wednesday said it produced 108.2 million tonne of coal in the first two months of the ongoing fiscal year, registering year-on-year increase of 28.8 per cent. The company had produced 84 million tonne (MT) of coal in April-May last fiscal year, Coal India Ltd (CIL) said in a filing to BSE. The company's output in May increased to 54.7 MT from 42.1 MT in the corresponding month of previous fiscal year, the filing said. "Accelerating its production, CIL posted a strong 30 per cent output growth in May'22. The increase in volume terms was 12.6 MT," the PSU said in another filing. Facing a production target of 700 MT for 2022-23, which entailed 12.4 per cent growth rate at the beginning of the fiscal year, CIL brought down the year's asking growth rate to 9.9 per cent by the end of last month. "Admittedly, sustaining the level of growth witnessed so far, throughout the year, is difficult but we will be monitoring the progress month by month to augment the output," s

Jindal Steel and Power, Hindalco bag coal mines in Odisha in auction

BS Ispat Ltd emerged as the highest bidder for Majra mine in Maharashtra, Assam Mineral Development Corporation bagged Garampani coal block in Assam

Supply of coal to power plants in Nov more than consumption: Joshi

Several power plants of the country reportedly faced coal shortages during September and October this year

Coal shortage deepens in India amid plunging plant inventories

Electricity demand from India's state distribution utilities rose more than 10% in July and 18% in August

Govt revises timeline of second tranche of coal mine auctions

The last date for submission of bids has been extended to July 8, 2021.

CoalMin targets projects worth Rs 41K-crore for asset monetisation

These projects include coal washeries, coal gasification, first-mile connectivity for building coal silos/mechanised loading, offering mines to private firms under mine developer and operator model

India unlikely to accept IEA's call to stop new fossil fuel investments

"We do not think the report by IEA has been vetted by the member countries as a position document", said a senior source in the government

National Aluminium Co gets mining lease for Utkal-E coal block in Odisha

National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) on Friday said it has been granted the mining lease of Utkal-E coal block in Odisha. The lease has been granted by the Department of Steel & Mines, Government of Odisha, through a notification issued on April 12. As per the notification, the mining lease of Utkal-E coal block is over an area of 523.73 hectare, the company said in a filing to BSE. The initial capacity of the block is 2 million tonnes per year with a total mineable reserve of approximately 70 million tonne. Nalco has already executed the mining lease for Utkal-D coal block in March 2021. With the grant of Utkal D & E coal blocks, the total mineable coal reserve of the company will be 175 million tonnes, which will be pivotal in meeting the coal requirement of its captive power plant at Angul, Odisha. Sridhar Patra, CMD of the company said the NALCO team is very optimistic on starting the mining operation from Utkal-D coal block in this financial year. "With the grant of ...

Govt launches auctions for second tranche of commercial coal mining

In the upcoming auction, 67 coal blocks will be offered

Decoded: Why the industry is unhappy with amendments to mining law

The latest amendments come with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government opening up key sec­tors for greater private investment

Boost to production and pvt investment as mining reforms get green signal

Centre removes distinction between captive and merchant mines, will amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 to enforce reforms

Coal mining opens doors to pvt players; power distribution fails to reform

The Centre amended the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015, in May to open up auction for non-mining firms; micro, small, and medium enterprises; and foreign companies