New Delhi:
The government said on Tuesday that 31 companies, including JSW Steel, Vedanta Ltd, NLC India Ltd, Jindal Power and Bharat Aluminum Company Ltd, have submitted bids for 24 mines through commercial coal mine auctions.
No fewer than 38 online and offline bids were made during the three auction rounds.
“A total of 31 companies submitted their bids (both online and offline) in the auction process,” the Coal Ministry said in a statement.
JSW Steel, Vedanta Ltd, NLC India Ltd, Jindal Power and Bharat Aluminum Company Ltd have submitted the bids. Other companies that have submitted the bids include Birla Corporation Ltd, Jaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd, Rungta Metals Private Ltd and Godavari Power & Ispat Ltd.
The auction process for 122 coal/lignite mines started in March. The last technical bid submission date was June 27, 2022, excluding 10 mines. Those 10 mines include Parbatpur Central coal mine and 9 lignite mines.
“As part of the auction process, technical bids consisting of online and offline bidding documents were opened today… in the presence of the interested bidders,” the statement said.
The bids will be assessed by a multidisciplinary technical evaluation committee and the technically qualified bidders will be shortlisted to participate in the electronic auction.
Following the opening of the technical bids, the forum was opened for discussion and suggestions from bidders were sought to make commercial coal auctions more attractive to the industry.
On Monday, the coal ministry said it has received a total of 38 bids in the three rounds of commercial coal mine auctions.
In the fifth round of the auctions, a total of 28 offline bids were received against 15 coal mines being tendered.
According to the ministry, in the second attempt of the third round, a total of nine coal mines were put up for sale and six bids were received.
In the second attempt of the fourth round, a total of four collieries were auctioned and four bids were received for three collieries.
The fifth round, the second attempt of the fourth and third rounds of the auctions was launched in March by the Ministry of Coal.
In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the auction of 41 coal mines for commercial mining.