2nd lot of coal auction: 84 bids technically qualified

As many as 84 applications from a host of companies, including Adani Power, Jindal Power, JSW Energy and Hindustan Zinc, have cleared the initial stages of coal auction for a total of 130 blocks put up by the government in the second tranche.
"Out of the total applications we received, 84 are found to be technically valid," a source said.
The government had last month received 130 preliminary bids from companies including Essar Power, Hindalco, Adani Power and Jindal Power.
Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL), Bharat Aluminium Co Ltd (Balco), GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Ltd, Hindalco Industries and Sesa Sterlite are some of the other major companies whose bids have been found technically qualified.

The auction follows the Supreme Court decision last year to cancel allocation of 204 coal mines.
The government, which auctioned 19 mines in first lot, has announced the list of 15 successful bidders as four mines are been re-examined by the Nominated Authority.

Of the 84 bids which are technically qualified, 16 bids are found to be technically qualified for Utkal C mine in Odisha, making it the most sought after mine.
The technically qualified bidders for Utkal C coal block includes Jindal Power, Sesa Sterlite and Adani Power.
Ganeshpur coal mine in Jharkhand had 10 technically qualified bidders like Adani Power, Jindal Power and Reliance Geothermal Power Pvt Ltd.

Jamkhani mine in Odisha also had 10 technically qualified bidders like Balco, Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd and Hindalco Industries.
The government will auction over 10 mines in schedule III (ready to produce) in the second lot.
The schedule III mines announced by the government earlier are Brinda and Sarsai mine in Jharkhand, Jamkhani mine in Odisha, Nerad Malegaon mine in Maharastra and Ganeshpur Block in Jharkhand.
Other mines in the category includes Jitpur mine in Jharkhand, Mandakini-A mine in Odisha, and utkal C in Odisha.
The government had last month put off the second round of auction of coal blocks in second tranche to March 4.

The auction of mines in the second tranche was earlier scheduled to begin from February 25.