'Not possible to give timeline for mining Mozambique blocks'

It is not possible to indicate the exact timeline as to when will the mining begin in Coal India's two blocks in Mozambique, the government said today.
"Coal India Ltd has registered a wholly-owned subsidiary, namely, Coal India Africana Limitada (CIAL), in Mozambique for exploration and development of the two coal blocks... At this juncture of time, it is not possible to indicate when mining would start," Minister of State for Coal and Power Piyush Goyal said in written reply to Rajya Sabha.
Exploratory phase of drilling has been completed at the blocks, and the coal sampling has been prepared and dispatched for testing and analysis in CSIR labs in India, he said.

"The Geological Report based on the analysis results has not been prepared," Goyal added.
CIAL had won 5-year licence for exploration and development of mines in Mozambique in August, 2009. Two coal blocks - A1 and A2 - at Motaize, in Tete Province of Mozambique, are spread over 200 sq km.