Odisha PSUs to apply for four new coal blocks

State controlled PSUs in Odisha will apply for four new coal blocks- Chandrabila, Tentuloi, Sarapal-Nuapada and Kudanali-Luburi notified by the Ministry of Coal (MoC) under ‘auction by competitive bidding' of coal mining’.

The state government has decided that Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) will apply for Kudanali-Luburi coal block, with reserve of 396.1 million tonne, for mining purpose only.

Three other PSUs - Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC), Odisha Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (OTPCL) and Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC) will apply for Chandrabila, Tentuloi and Sarapal-Nuapada blocks respectively.

MoC had notified 17 coal blocks for allotment to government companies and five of these blocks are located in the Talcher coalfields. The ministry has extended the January 30 deadline to apply for these blocks. The PSUs now have time till February 8 to submit their applications.

The five new coal blocks in Talcher coalfields notified by the ministry are Kudanali-Laburi, Sarapal-Nuapara, Tentuloi, Chandrabila and Brahmani.

After de-allocation of five coal blocks in Odisha due to inordinate delay in their development, the state government is understood to have geared up for winning new blocks meant for PSUs.

The Coal ministry had de-allocated five coal blocks- Radhikapur East, Baitarani West, Utkal-D, Mandakini-B and Naini. Of these Utkal-D and Mandakini-B were allocated to OMC while Baitarani West was awarded to OHPC jointly with PSUs of other states.

The de-allocation was effected by the ministry on the basis of recommendations made by the inter-ministerial group (IMG) of the Centre on coal block allocation.