India’s Future Shines: 10th Tranche of Coal Mine Auctions Launched

Powering Tomorrow: Coal Lighting Up India’s Future

Ministry of Coal Launches 10th Tranche of Commercial Coal Mine Auctions

Hyderabad June 21,2024

The Ministry of Coal has launched the 10th tranche of commercial coal mine auctions, offering a total of 67 coal mines. The event took place in Hyderabad, inaugurated by G. Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble Union Minister of Coal and Mines, in the presence of Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, and Satish Chandra Dubey, Hon’ble Minister of State for Coal and Mines.

The 67 coal mines, located across Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, and Telangana, include fully and partially explored mines as well as three coking coal mines. In an effort to make the auctions more attractive, mines in protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries, critical habitats, areas with dense forest cover, and heavily built-up areas have been excluded. Additionally, the block boundaries of some mines have been revised to avoid dense habitation, high green cover, or critical infrastructure.

In his address, G. Kishan Reddy emphasized the critical role of coal as the lifeline for all industries and its pivotal contribution to achieving a $5 trillion economy. He urged coal entrepreneurs to collaborate towards the nation’s development and align with the vision of making India self-reliant (Aatmanirbhar) in coal by reducing dependency on imports and enhancing domestic production. He also noted that the revenue from the auctioned coal blocks will benefit the respective state governments.

Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka praised the Ministry’s efforts to reduce foreign coal imports, highlighting that nearly 1 billion tonnes of coal were produced in the last financial year, meeting the nation’s energy needs.

Satish Chandra Dubey assured all necessary support to the coal block allocatees to improve the ease of doing business. He mentioned that feedback from industry players is being considered to further enhance the sector’s attractiveness. He reiterated the importance of the coal mining sector in achieving self-reliance.

In his keynote address, Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, underscored the need to boost coal production to meet rising energy demands without compromising worker safety. He called for the adoption of global best practices to ensure a secure working environment and emphasized maintaining high standards of transparency and environmental sustainability. He also highlighted the importance of robust state-level support to streamline business operations within the sector.

M. Nagaraju, Additional Secretary and Nominated Authority, Ministry of Coal, stressed the need to explore more coal blocks to meet the surging demand. He highlighted the importance of leveraging private investment and expertise to ensure a steady coal supply to various industries and achieve higher production targets.

The sale of tender documents commences on June 21, 2024. Details of the mines, auction terms, timelines, and more can be accessed on the MSTC auction platform and the Ministry of Coal’s website. The auction will be held online through a transparent two-stage process based on Percentage Revenue Share.