Lok Sabha Question No. 1715 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-10
Subject: Commercial Coal Mine Auction
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri Radheshyam Rathiya, Shri Dulu Mahato, Shri Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy, Shri Vijay Kumar Dubey, Dr. Kalyan Vaijinathrao Kale, Smt. Roopkumari Choudhary, Shri Naba Charan Majhi, Dr. Rajesh Mishra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO†1715

ANSWERED ON- 10/12/2025

## COMMERCIAL COAL MINE AUCTION

## †1715.SHRI RADHESHYAM RATHIYA:

SHRI DULU MAHATO:

SHRI RAMASAHAYAM RAGHURAM REDDY:

SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY:

DR. KALYAN VAIJINATHRAO KALE:

SMT. ROOPKUMARI CHOUDHARY:

SHRI NABA CHARAN MAJHI:

DR. RAJESH MISHRA:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) the details and objectives of the 14th round of commercial coal mine auction;
- (b) the details of number of mines offered under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Act),1957, State-wise;
- (c) the total number of bids received for each mine along with the details of successful bidders for each mine including the company name, bid value, production capacity and timeline for commencement of operations;
- (d) the criteria adopted to identify mines with the potential for advanced technologies;
- (e)  the  policy  measures  being  taken  to  promote  transparency,  competitiveness  and  digital integration in commercial coal mining;
- (f) the manner in which the recent auction rounds are likely to impact domestic coal availability, regional efficiency and long-term energy security;
- (g)  the  process  adopted  to  assess  the  environmental  carrying  capacity,  impact  on  local communities and potential increase in the State's coal production capacity for the mines located in Chhattisgarh particularly for the Hasdeo Aranya and Mand-Raigarh belts;
- (h) the revenue and employment likely to be generated by the said projects in Chhattisgarh; and
- (i) whether auction for any new coal mine has been carried out in Sidhi Lok Sabha Constituency and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COAL & MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a) The 14th round of commercial coal mine auctions was launched on October 29, 2025 and a total of 41 coal mines have been offered. The last date for submission of bids is December 15, 2025.  The objective of this round is to further strengthen self-reliance in the coal sector, reduce

coal imports and enhance private sector participation in domestic coal production. Further, the 14th round marks the first time that specific provisions for Underground Coal Gasification have been  included  in  India's  commercial  coal  auction  framework  to  harness  deep  seated  coal resources.

(b) The details of number of mines offered in the 14 th round of commercial coal mine auctions State-wise is as under:

| State          |   Under Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 Under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Act),1957 Total |   Under Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 Under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Act),1957 Total |   Under Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 Under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Act),1957 Total |
|----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh |                                                                                                                      0 |                                                                                                                      3 |                                                                                                                      3 |
| Chhattisgarh   |                                                                                                                      2 |                                                                                                                     13 |                                                                                                                     15 |
| Madhya Pradesh |                                                                                                                      1 |                                                                                                                      1 |                                                                                                                      2 |
| Maharashtra    |                                                                                                                      0 |                                                                                                                      5 |                                                                                                                      5 |
| Odisha         |                                                                                                                      2 |                                                                                                                     10 |                                                                                                                     12 |
| Telangana      |                                                                                                                      0 |                                                                                                                      1 |                                                                                                                      1 |
| West Bengal    |                                                                                                                      0 |                                                                                                                      3 |                                                                                                                      3 |
| Total          |                                                                                                                      5 |                                                                                                                     36 |                                                                                                                     41 |

(c) Last date for submission of bids is December 15, 2025. No bid has been received as of now.

(d)  The  Coal  Mine  Development  and  Production  Agreement  mandates  that  all  successful bidders will deploy advanced mining technologies, including mechanised extraction, transportation,  reduction  of  carbon  footprint,  and  development  of  First-Mile  Connectivity. Accordingly, identification of mines for auction is undertaken with a focus on locations where such modern systems can be effectively deployed with minimal environmental disruption. For this purpose, coal blocks in eco-sensitive zones, tiger reserves, elephant corridors, Very Dense Forest (VDF > 40%) areas, CBM lease overlap, or major surface constraints (such as national highways and dense habitation) are excluded.

(e) The auction process is conducted through the secure e-auction online platform of MSTC Ltd., a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Steel. All bids submitted on the MSTC portal are encrypted to ensure data security and confidentiality. Decryption of online bids and opening of physical bids are undertaken in the presence of the participating bidders to maintain transparency.  During  the  forward  auction,  the  latest  highest  offer  is  visible  to  all  eligible

bidders, enabling fair competition. Further, to ensure competitive participation, no affiliate or associated entity is allowed to participate in the auction of same coal mine.

(f)  The  coal  mines  offered  in  the  14th  round  of  commercial  auctions  have  the  potential  to contribute  approximately  35.41  million  tonnes  per  annum  (MTPA)  to  the  domestic  coal supply.  This is  expected to augment regional coal availability, reduce dependence on coal imports and support long-term energy security by increasing participation of private sector in coal production.

(g) & (h) Assessment of environmental carrying capacity and impact on local communities for coal  mines,  including  those  located  in  the  state  of  Chhattisgarh,  is  carried  out  as  per  the statutory provisions under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Prior Environmental Clearance (EC) and Forest Clearance (FC) are mandatory for each mine and require comprehensive evaluation of land use, biodiversity, air and water quality, hydrology, rehabilitation and resettlement requirements and socio-economic impact on project-affected families. Public hearings conducted by the State Pollution Control Board form an integral part of the EC process to incorporate the views of local communities. Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC)  ensures  that  mining operations are within the sustainable environmental carrying capacity of the region.

Out of the 41 coal mines on offer, a total of 10 coal mines are from the Mand-Raigarh region of Chhattisgarh state while no coal mine is from the Hasdeo Aranya area. Of these 10 coal mines, 5 are partially explored and 5 mines are fully explored. These 5 fully explored coal mines are expected to enhance the state's coal production by 11.48 MTPA and are expected to provide employment to more than 15,000 people along with annual revenue of more than Rs. 1075 crores.

(i) No auction of coal mine from Sidhi Lok Sabha constituency has been carried out in FY 2025-26.

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