Business Standard

PSUs, pvt firms to be allotted 18 coal blocks

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Siddharth ZarabiUtpal Bhaskar New Delhi
A government committee has recommended the allocation of 18 coal blocks with total geological reserves of nearly 2 billion tonnes to private and government sector companies including the likes of Hindalco Corporation, Tata Power, Jindal Steel and Power, Essar Power, Steel Authority of India as well as the state governments of Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh among others.
 
The screening committee, headed by coal secretary HC Gupta and comprising officials from the power, railway and industries ministries and the concerned state governments, has put up the names for approval of the ministry, a senior coal ministry official said.
 
"As per the recommendations made by the screening committee, the Tubed block is expected to be allotted to two separate companies "" Hindalco and Tata Power. The Jitpur block has been recommended to Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, while the Chakla block is expected to be allocated to Essar Power," sources told Business Standard.
 
The Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation is expected to get the Penagadapar-I block while the Andhra Pradesh state government may be allotted the Anisettispalli and Purukul Chilka blocks.
 
Announcements for the 18 coal block allotments are expected to be made within the next 10 days. Allotments for another two blocks have not yet been finalised, and once that happens the total reserves farmed out for development will be 3 billion tonnes.
 
Except Sitanala, Anisettipalli and Penagadapar-I blocks the rest of the blocks are non-coking coal blocks. The blocks are primarily located in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

 
 

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First Published: Sep 28 2006 | 12:00 AM IST

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