Lok Sabha Question No. 655 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-06
Subject: Coal Mines Auction Process
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Sukanta Majumdar, Bhola Singh, Vinod Kumar Sonkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 655 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.12.2023

## Coal Mines Auction Process

## 655. DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR: SHRI BHOLA SINGH: SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has recently launched the eighth round of commercial coal mines auction process in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has proposed to scale  up  the  coal production from underground mines to 100 million tonnes by 2030 by deploying mass production technology;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the other steps being taken by the Government to stop coal import by 2025-26?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COAL, MINES & PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)

Reply (a) & (b) : Yes Sir, 8th round of commercial coal mines auction has been launched on 15th November, 2023 offering 39  coal  blocks from five coal  bearing  states  namely  Jharkhand,  Odisha,  Maharashtra,  West Bengal  and  Bihar.  The  last  date  for  submission  of  bids  is  January  12, 2024. The details of the  coal  mines offered for  auction  are  attached  as Annexure -A.

Reply  (c)  &  (d) Yes  Sir,  an  Underground  (UG)  Vision  plan  has  been envisaged to scale up the coal production of 100 MT from Underground mines by the year 2027-28 and beyond. The mines have already been identified by coal companies that shall contribute to achieve the mission of  100  MT.  Further,  it  is  planned  to  introduce  more  and  more  Mass Production  Technology  (MPT)  by  using  Continuous  Miners,  Longwall (LW), Highwall (HW) miners wherever feasible by adding to its already existing Continuous Miners, LWs & HWs in phased manner.

Reply (e) Steps being taken to avoid coal imports are as under:

- i. The  Annual  Contracted  Quantity  (ACQ)  has  been  increased  upto 100% of the normative requirement, in the cases where the ACQ was either  reduced to 90% of normative requirement (non-coastal) or where  the  ACQ  was  reduced  to  70%  of  normative  requirement (coastal  power plants).  Increase  in the  ACQ  would result  in  more domestic coal supplies, thereby, reducing the import dependency.
- ii. Under  the  provisions  of  Para  B  (viii)  (a)  of  SHAKTI  Policy,  coal linkage  is  provided  for  short  term  for  sale  of  power  generated through that linkage in any product in Power Exchanges or in short term through a transparent bidding process through DEEP portal. In addition, with the amendment to the NRS linkage auction policy introduced in 2020, the tenure of coking coal linkages in the NRS linkage  auction  has  been  revised  for  a  period  upto  30  years.  The coal offered for short term to the Power Plants under the amended provisions of SHAKTI Policy as well as increase in the tenure of the coking  coal  linkages  in  the  Non-Regulated  Sector  linkage  auction for  a  period  upto  30  years  is  expected  to  have  a  positive  impact towards coal imports substitution.
- iii. Government  has  decided  in  2022  that  the  coal  to  meet  the  full Power  Purchase  Agreement  (PPA)  requirement  of  all  the  existing linkage holders of Power Sector shall be made available by the coal companies. The decision of the Government of meeting  the  full  PPA requirement of the linkage holders of the Power Sector shall reduce the dependence on the imports.
- iv. An Inter - Ministerial Committee (IMC) has been constituted in the Ministry  of  Coal  on  29.05.2020  for  the  purpose  of  coal  import substitution. The Representatives from Ministry of Power, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of  Steel,  Ministry  of  Mines,  Ministry  of  Micro,  Small  &  Medium Enterprises  (MSME),  Department  for  Promotion  of  Industry  & Internal  Trade  (DPIIT),  Central  Electricity  Authority  (CEA),  Coal Companies and Ports are members of this IMC. Eleven meetings of the  IMC  have  been  held  so  far.  On  the  directions  of  the  IMC,  an Import  Data  System  has  been  developed  by  Ministry  of  Coal  to enable the Ministry to track the imports of coal. Efforts are  taken to ensure more domestic supplies of coal.

## Annexure A

## List of Coal Mines offered in 8th round of commercial auctions

|   S. No. | Name of the Coal Mine                        | State                                        |
|----------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Jaganathpur A                                | West Bengal                                  |
|        2 | Mahanadi (Revised)                           | Odisha                                       |
|        3 | New Patrapara                                | Odisha                                       |
|        4 | Radhikapur (East)                            | Odisha                                       |
|        5 | Chendipada-II (Revised)                      | Odisha                                       |
|        6 | North of Arkhapal Srirampur (Revised) Odisha | North of Arkhapal Srirampur (Revised) Odisha |
|        7 | Mandakini B                                  | Odisha                                       |
|        8 | Kosar Dongergaon                             | Maharashtra                                  |
|        9 | Marki-Zari-Jamani-Adkoli                     | Maharashtra                                  |
|       10 | Latehar                                      | Jharkhand                                    |
|       11 | Nuagaon Telisahi                             | Odisha                                       |
|       12 | Brahmani                                     | Odisha                                       |
|       13 | Kabitirtha                                   | West Bengal                                  |
|       14 | Kantaikoliya                                 | Odisha                                       |
|       15 | Kosala West (Eastern Part)                   | Odisha                                       |
|       16 | Lakshmipur North                             | Bihar                                        |
|       17 | Mirzagaon North                              | Bihar                                        |
|       18 | Mirzagaon South                              | Bihar                                        |
|       19 | Salbhadra- Gomarpahari                       | West Bengal                                  |
|       20 | Bartap (Revised)                             | Odisha                                       |
|       21 | Gawa (East)                                  | Jharkhand                                    |
|       22 | Gomarpahari Siulibana                        | Jharkhand                                    |
|       23 | Yensa                                        | Maharashtra                                  |
|       24 | Dhulia North (Revised)                       | Jharkhand                                    |
|       25 | Kardabahal-Brahmanbil (Revised)              | Odisha                                       |
|       26 | Kosala West (Western Part) Revised           | Odisha                                       |
|       27 | Phuljhari East & West (Revised)              | Odisha                                       |
|       28 | Binodpur Bhabaniganj                         | West Bengal                                  |
|       29 | Kosala East                                  | Odisha                                       |
|       30 | Dhobbanpur                                   | West Bengal                                  |
|       31 | Dighi Dharampur North                        | Jharkhand                                    |
|       32 | Dighi Dharampur South                        | Jharkhand                                    |
|       33 | Mausinga                                     | Jharkhand                                    |
|       34 | Sukli                                        | Maharashtra                                  |
|       35 | West of Kiloni                               | Maharashtra                                  |

List of Coal Mines offered in second attempt of 7th round of commercial auctions

|   S. No. | Name of the Coal Mine   | State   |
|----------|-------------------------|---------|
|       36 | Machhakata (Revised)    | Odisha  |
|       37 | Badibahal               | Odisha  |
|       38 | Kudanali-Lubri          | Odisha  |
|       39 | Sakhigopal - B Kakurhi  | Odisha  |

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