'Re-allocation of coal mines will meet power sector demand'

The government is confident that opening of the coal sector and re-allocation of mines would be enough to meet the demand of the power sector.

On the probability of coal pooling, on the lines of gas pooling for stranded power projects, Piyush Goyal, minister of state for coal, power and renewable energy, said e-auction would meet most of the demand. "We have opened up the sector and that is enough to meet most of the demand," said Goyal.

He said the Coal Ordinance Bill would be introduced in the winter session of Parliament and modalities for e-auction were under deliberation to be executed by December-end.

"We would only put the ordinance in the winter session and other developments would be put up after due deliberations," said Goyal on the issue of setting up the regulator for the coal sector, which is open for commercial mining.

The ministry of coal has decided to set up a coal regulatory body after the auction of the first batch of 72 operational blocks, as these will be auctioned for end use for the power, steel and iron ore sectors. The other 132 blocks to be open for commercial mining, are likely to be put under the vigilance of a market regulator.