JSW Steel, Jindal Steel, Adani Among 46 Firms Bidding for 20 Coal Blocks
Among the 46 companies that have placed bids for 20 coal blocks in the 11th round of commercial mining auctions, JSW Steel, Jindal Steel and Power, Adani Natural Resources, Coal India's subsidiary Western Coalfields, and Damodar Valley Corporation are some of them. Of the 27 blocks offered, 20 received a total of 70 bids, with some companies bidding for multiple blocks, according to the Coal Ministry.
The auctioned blocks are mostly non-coking coal, and only one is allocated for coking coal. The ministry noted an 'unprecedented response' to this round of bidding, highlighting the participation of over 15 new companies, including a Coal India subsidiary, in the commercial coal mine auctions for the first time.
Other companies in the bidding process are Bharat Aluminium Company, Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation, Orissa Metaliks, Lloyds Metal, and Odisha Coal and Power.
The bids will be evaluated by a multi-disciplinary technical evaluation committee, and technically qualified bidders will be shortlisted for electronic auction, which will be held on the MSTC portal. The government's commercial coal mining initiative is expected to increase domestic coal production and reduce import dependency.
