In an interview with Nitin Kumar, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi says the government has taken proactive steps to develop a secure supply chain for critical minerals
The coal ministry on Thursday reviewed the status of commercial and captive coal blocks that have already started production as well as those which are expected to commence production. During a high level meeting to review the status of 'producing and expected to produce' captive and commercial coal mines, Additional Secretary at the ministry M Nagaraju also urged the allottees to put in further efforts to achieve the committed coal output target for the current fiscal, an official statement said. As of December, 50 captive and commercial coal mines were under production. According to the statement, Nagaraju also "impressed upon the allottees to take necessary steps to operationalise the coal blocks that are in advanced stages of operationalisation". Within three-and-a-half years of commencing commercial coal mines auction in 2020, 6 mines with a cumulative Peak Rated Capacity (PRC) of 14.87 million tonnes (MT) have already started production. In December 2023, the total coal ...
Rolling out a policy to provide financial support for coal gasification projects, augmenting production and promoting underground mining activities are among the government's priorities for the coal sector, which is key to meet the country's rising electricity demand. Besides, efforts will be made to bring more captive and commercial coal mines into operation, improve the quality of the dry fuel and transportation infrastructure for environmental sustainability. Digitisation of mine records is also on the cards. In an interview to PTI, Coal Secretary Amrit Lal Meena said the government has already notified two policies with respect to coal gasification and plans to provide financial support as well as tax incentives for such projects. The ministry of coal has set a target to gasify 100 Million Tonnes (MT) of coal by FY 2030 in line with its energy transition plans. "Now, we are coming out with a policy for certain financial support and tax incentives (for coal gasification projects
The Centre has formally allocated a coal block in Jharkhand to NLC India Ltd, the state-owned entity said on Friday. The PSU had emerged as successful bidder for North Dhadu (Western Part) mine in Latehar district of Jharkhand under commercial auctions held in August. "The vesting order (for coal blocks was) issued by Secretary (Coal) to NLC India Ltd in the ceremony conducted on December 14, 2023," NLC India Ltd said in a filing to the BSE. This coal mine has reserves of 434.65 million tonnes and its peak rated capacity is three million tonnes per annum. NLC India is a Navratna company under the coal ministry. The core business of the PSU is mining and power generation.
NTPC, which produces mostly coal-fired power, has surged 78%, far ahead of a gain of 17% in the broader Nifty Index, while shares of Coal India are up 55% for their best year in 2023
The government on Saturday said coal production from captive, commercial coal mines registered a 37 per cent rise to 11.94 Million Tonnes (MT) in November. The coal output from captive, commercial coal mines was at 8.74 MT in November 2022-23. Coal dispatch from captive, commercial coal mines in November was at 12.92 MT, registering a growth of 55 per cent as against 8.36 MT in the year-ago period. "The average daily coal dispatch from such mines in November 2023 is the highest ever with 4.3 lakh tonnes per day," the coal ministry said in a statement. The total coal production from captive, commercial coal mines during the April-November period was around 83.90 MT, while the total coal dispatch was 89.67 MT, registering a year-on-year growth of 24 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively, from the same period in FY23. The government is committed to achieving the target coal production and dispatch, which is a crucial step towards ensuring the country's energy security and driving ..
The Centre owes Rs 1.36 lakh crore to Jharkhand on account of coal that is mined from the state, Chief Minister Hemant Soren claimed on Friday. Addressing a public meeting here, he alleged that when asked about this money, the Centre resorts to tactics for evading it. "Coal is extracted from Jharkhand and on account of it, Rs 1.36 lakh crore is outstanding with the Centre. When asked about the outstanding amount, it evades with one reason or the other. Those who have ruled the state for 20 years never asked for this amount or the rights of the state. This money belongs to the people of Jharkhand," he said. Soren alleged that the Centre has stopped providing funds for housing for the poor, and natural disasters such as drought. "Today, we are building this state on our own. One has to fight for one's rights. Sometimes long movements have to be made for this. For this, we have to unite. We will fight this battle of ours together and will retain our rights," he said. Sharpening his .
A total of 39 mines will be put on sale in the eighth round of commercial coal mines auction, which will be launched on Wednesday, the government said on Monday. Pursuant to the launch of the first tranche of commercial coal mine auction by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2020, a total of 91 coal mines in seven tranches have been put on sale. "A total of 35 coal mines will be offered in the upcoming round comprising 11 under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 and 24 under the MMDR Act 1957... Additionally, four coal mines are being offered under the second attempt of round seven of commercial coal auction," the coal ministry said in a statement. The launch of the eighth round of commercial coal mining auctions is a significant step towards promoting private sector participation in the coal mining industry and increasing coal production, it said. "The Ministry of Coal is gearing up for the launch of the eighth round of auctions for commercial coal mines on November 1
The government on Friday said more than 20 abandoned mines have been identified by state-owned CIL for evaluation and feasibility study for pump storage projects. The information was shared by Coal India Ltd (CIL) during a diversification review meeting held by Coal Secretary Amrit Lal Meena. State-owned NLCIL has also taken up a feasibility study on pump storage projects, the coal ministry said in a statement. Pumped storage power plants use gravity to generate electricity using water that has previously been pumped from a reservoir in the pit into an upper reservoir. During periods of low demand, the water is pumped into the higher reservoir. When demand is high, the water is released to drive a turbine in a powerhouse and feed electricity into the grid. Over 200 de-coaled mines with huge land area are available in coal producing areas. Many of these mines are feasible for pump storage projects. Further, direction has been given for stakeholders consultation with agencies who m
Voicing concern over "privatisation of mines", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that it was a violation of labour laws and it meant pushing the workers into "bonded" labour, as he shared a video of his recent interaction with workers of the Singareni Coal Mines in Telangana. In the video shared by Gandhi on his YouTube channel, he tells the workers that the Congress stand is very clear that there should be no privatisation is strategic sectors. "A few days ago, I got a chance to meet and talk to the workers and employees of the coal mines of Singareni. Listened to their problems, and after listening I came to know that the root of every problem is the privatisation of mines," he said in his post along with the video. "This privatisation is a violation of labour laws and is a means of pushing workers into bonded labour. Some capitalists will benefit from this and the result will be what I have been saying for a long time - the rich will get richer, and the poor will
The Centre on Friday entered into pacts with six bidders, including Hindalco Industries and NLC India Ltd, which bagged coal blocks under the seventh round of coal mines auction. The government had launched the seventh round of auctions for commercial mining of coal blocks, putting 106 mines under the hammer. In a statement, the coal ministry said that successful bidders encompass entities such Hindalco Industries Ltd, NTPC Mining Ltd, NLC India Ltd, Shri Bajrang Power & Ispat Limited and Nilkanth Mining Ltd. The mines for which these agreements have been executed are Meenakshi West, North Dhadu (Eastern Part), North Dhadu (Western Part), Pathora East, Pathora West and Sherband. Of the said blocks, four have undergone partial exploration and the other two are fully explored. The estimated total revenue generation annually from these blocks stands at approximately Rs 787.59 crore, based on production at an aggregated peak rate capacity (PRC) level of seven metric tonne per annum .
The government on Wednesday said the sustainable utilisation of mine water resources by public sector companies under the coal ministry has benefitted 17.7 lakh people across 981 villages of nine states. In the course of coal mining operations, a substantial volume of mine water accumulates in mine sumps. This stored mine water serves a range of community purposes, including domestic and drinking water supply, irrigation of agricultural fields, groundwater replenishment, and various industrial applications like dust suppression and heavy machinery washing. "During the fiscal 2022-23, CPSEs (Central Public Sector Enterprises) discharged approximately 8,130 Lakh m3 of mine water, with 46 per cent allocated for community uses such as domestic and irrigation purposes, 49 per cent for internal domestic and industrial needs, and six per cent reserved for groundwater recharge initiatives," the coal ministry said in a statement. To ensure the suitability of mine water for drinking and ...
The government is aiming to control surface fire at 27 locations of 19 coal mines in Jharia, Jharkhand, by 2025-end, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Some coal mines of Jharia in Jharkhand have been burning for many years due to unscientific mining prior to the nationalisation of coal mines, Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. As per the Jharia Master Plan approved in 2009, it was estimated that about 37 MT of good quality prime coking coal has been destroyed due to fire, the minister noted. Coal India subsidiary Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) is periodically conducting surveys through National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) Hyderabad for delineation of surface fire. As per the latest survey report done in the year 2020-21, the surface fire area has been reduced to 1.8 sq km spread over 27 locations, he said. "Out of these 27 locations, fire at 16 locations is being dealt with by operating fire dealing projects through excavation an
Around 40% of BHP's metallurgical coal, used by steel mills and known as coking coal, is now heading to India, chief commercial officer Vandita Pant told FT
Coal officials and banking executives in the world's second-largest coal producer discussed the issue at a June meeting called by the government in a bid to ease the funding deadlock
The South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL), a subsidiary of Coal India, has decided to develop its closed Manikpur Pokhri open-cast coal mine in Chhattisgarh's Korba district as an eco-tourism spot, a company official said on Sunday. This will be the second such project in the state after a similar mine in neighbouring Surajpur district was developed into a tourist spot. The SECL along with Municipal Corporation Korba will spend more than Rs 11 crores to develop Manikpur Pokhari mine into an eco-tourism destination and the company has already released Rs 5.60 crore to Korba Collector for the purpose, SECL spokesperson Sanish Chandra said. Mining in Manikpur Pokhri, one of the first mines in Korba district, started in 1966 with Russian technical consultation. About 24 years later, during the excavation, groundwater source was discovered there and the inflow of water was so much that it could not be drained out even with the help of motor pumps etc. and finally the mine had to be closed,
The Government of Chhattisgarh is reportedly not providing the mining leases to the coal block owners for mines in the state
The coal ministry on Tuesday said it has received 35 bids under the seventh round of auctions of commercial coal mines. This round of auction was started by the ministry for 103 mines on March 29, 2023. The last date for submission of bids was June 27. According to the ministry, a total of 35 offline bids have been received for 18 coal mines and two or more bids have been received for seven mines. The online bids received as part of the auction process will be opened on June 28.
The coal mine collapsed at 10:30 am when local villagers were engaged in mining; the exact number of people killed or trapped is still unknown, says DSP Abhishek Kuma
Protests against plans for the Gevra site in the eastern province of Chhattisgarh threaten to complicate Coal India Ltd's ability to win approvals to expand annual capacity to 70 million tons