Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy, is set to initiate the 10th phase of commercial coal block auctions next week, as per an official announcement on Friday. Approximately 62 blocks are expected to be available in this round, with no restrictions on end-users.
This means that coal extracted from these blocks can be sold directly in the open market by producers. The government began the commercial coal block auction process in June 2020. Over nine auction rounds, the Ministry of Coal has successfully auctioned 107 coal blocks, boasting a peak rated capacity of 256 million tonnes (MT). To date, 11 of these commercial coal blocks are operational. Last year, commercial blocks produced 17.5 MT of coal.
Additionally, the Ministry of Coal has established a coal block portal within the PM Gatishakti National Master Plan, offering bidders enhanced visibility of geographical features.
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