CIL plans expansion, begins talks with Bangladesh for coal exploration

Firms in the US, Germany, and Australia have bagged crucial exploration and feasibility contracts from Bangladesh

Keen to expand its footprint across the border, Coal India (CIL) has initiated talks with Barapukuria Coal Mining Company (BCMC), Bangladesh’s sole coal producer, to help it explore coal mines as well as set up new projects.

BCMC is a subsidiary of the Bangladesh government-owned Petrobangla, with extremely limited mining capability. “We have visited Bangladesh and spoken to this company’s as well as Petrobangla's top executives. We have asked them to revert with some geological data,” a senior Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) executive said. CMPDI is the technical subsidiary of CIL responsible for this project.

However, the