Page 2 - Coal

Govt invites bids for coal gasification projects under ₹8,500-cr scheme

The coal ministry has launched the second round of financial incentives, offering Rs 2,366 crore to support coal and lignite gasification projects and promote cleaner coal use

Private coal power producers urge easing curbs on Chinese equipment

In 2021, India's Ministry of Power mandated the use of homemade equipment under its "Make in India" initiative, which sought to bolster local manufacturing

Trump admin opens more land for coal, offers $625 mn for plant upgrades

The Trump administration said Monday it will open 13 million acres of federal lands for coal mining and provide USD 625 million to recommission or modernize coal-fired power plants as President Donald Trump continues his efforts to reverse the year-long decline in the US coal industry. Actions by the Energy and Interior departments and the Environmental Protection Agency follow executive orders Trump issued in April to revive coal, a reliable but polluting energy source that's long been shrinking amid environmental regulations and competition from cheaper natural gas. Environmental groups denounced announcement, which come as the Trump administration has clamped down on renewable energy, including freezing permits for offshore wind projects, ending clean energy tax credits and blocking wind and solar projects on federal lands. Under Trump's orders, the Energy Department has required fossil-fuelled power plants in Michigan and Pennsylvania to keep operating past their retirement date

Ministry issues draft rules allowing CCO to regulate proposed coal exchange

The government has come out with draft rules to form an organisation to regulate the functioning of the proposed coal exchange that will facilitate the trading of coal as a commodity. The proposed Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) will be a subordinate office of the coal ministry. Its responsibilities include coal mine closure activities to ensure environmental sustainability, collecting and disseminating coal statistics, inspecting collieries, issuing directives on coal grades, and acting as an appellate authority for grade-related disputes. "Ministry of coal proposes to appoint the Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) to register and regulate the coal exchange(s) to be established in the country," says the draft coal exchange rules, 2025 on which the ministry has invited comments from stakeholders by mid-October. The operations of the coal exchange would broadly be government by the regulations made by CCO. The draft further said that the recent policy reforms in the coal sector h

GST reforms to lower tax on coal, reduce power generation cost, says govt

The government on Thursday said that the GST reforms will bring down the overall tax on coal and reduce the cost of power generation. Earlier, coal attracted 5 per cent GST along with a compensation cess of Rs 400 per tonne. The GST Council has recommended the removal of the GST Compensation cess and an increase in the GST rate on coal from 5 per cent to 18 per cent. The new reforms bring down the overall tax on coal grades G6 to G17, which is in the range of Rs 13.40 per tonne to Rs 329.61 per ton. "The average reduction for the power sector is Rs 260 per tonne, which will reduce the cost of generation by 17 to 18 paise/kWh," the coal ministry said in a statement. The reforms will also help in rationalisation of tax burden on coal vis- -vis its pricing. Earlier, a flat rate of Rs 400 per tonne was imposed as GST compensation cess without considering coal quality. This disproportionately affected low-quality and low-priced coal. For example, G-11 non-coking coal, which is the majo

Best of BS Opinion: India's tariff woes will need careful handling

Today's Opinion Page is dominated by the issue of US tariffs, and what India can do to mitigate its effects. How will it impact India's GDP, and is turning to China really a wise call. Read on.

India's coal imports rise 1.5% to 76.4 MT in Q1FY26 despite domestic push

The country's coal import rose 1.5 per cent to 76.40 million tonnes in the April-June period of the current fiscal, compared to 75.26 MT in the year-ago period, even as the government pushes to ramp up domestic production of the fossil fuel. The country's coal import in June also increased to 23.91 million tonnes (MT) over 22.97 MT in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal, according to mjunction Services Ltd, a B2B e-commerce platform and a joint venture between Tata Steel and SAIL. During April-June, non-coking coal imports were at 49.08 MT, almost flat compared to 49.12 MT imported during the same period in the previous fiscal. Coking coal import was at 16.37 MT during April-June 2025, up against 15.45 MT recorded for April-June 2024. Of the total imports in June, non-coking coal imports stood at 14.85 MT, against 14.19 MT imported in June last year. Coking coal import stood at 5.78 MT, against 5.45 MT imported in June 2024. State-owned CIL's coal production dropped by

Rain may have washed it away: Meghalaya minister on 4K tonnes missing coal

As the Meghalaya High Court pulled up the state government over the disappearance of over 4,000 tonnes of coal, a minister on Monday claimed that heavy rain in the state might have washed it away. The high court has directed the state government to take action against officials under whose watch the coal went missing. Speaking to reporters, Excise Minister Kyrmen Shylla said, "Meghalaya receives the highest rainfall. You never know... because of rain, the coal might have swept away. Chances are very high." The high court had on July 25 pulled up the state government over the vanishing of coal from Rajaju and Diengngan villages and instructed it to trace those responsible for lifting the coal illegally. The minister, however, clarified that he was not trying to justify the disappearance, and admitted there was no conclusive evidence yet to determine whether the loss was due to natural causes or any illegal activity. "I cannot blame just the rain. It could be or it could not be. I .

4,000 tonnes of illegally mined coal vanish in Meghalaya; HC seeks answers

The Meghalaya HC noted that the missing stock of 4,000 MT coal had earlier been surveyed and recorded, yet 'unidentified persons' managed to lift and move it, exposing failures in ground-level enforce

FGD rule relaxation may cut electricity cost by 25-30 paise per unit

The government's move to ease sulphur emission rules for most coal-fired power plants strikes a delicate balance between costs, climate and compliance and is expected to cut electricity costs by 25-30 paise per unit, officials said on Sunday. In a gazette notification, the government has restricted the 2015 mandate of installing flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems that remove sulphur from a power plants' exhaust gases, only to plants located within 10 kilometres of cities with a population exceeding one million. Plants in critically polluted areas or non-attainment cities will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis while all other plants -- accounting for nearly 79 per cent of India's thermal power capacity -- are exempt from mandatory FGD installation. The notification stated that the decision was made following a detailed analysis by the Central Pollution Control Board, which found increased carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the operation of existing control ...

Govt urges coal producers to improve quality amid ongoing complaints

The power ministry, which set up a panel to address the issue, proposed measures such as testing coal quality upon arrival to customers

Coal miners spent ₹3K cr on progressive mine closure in 3 years: Official

About Rs 3,000 crore was spent during the last three years by coal mine operators on progressive mine closure in the country due to the efficient work by the Coal Controller, said a senior official on Friday. Addressing the Indian National Committee of the World Mining Congress (INC WMC) here, V L Kantha Rao, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, also said that when it comes to the non-coal sector, the Controller General of the Indian Bureau of Mines is ensuring that all 1,200 mines are undertaking progressive mine closure. "They (Coal Controller) have ensured that in the existing, there are about 500 coal mines, and people have spent about Rs 3,000 crore in the last three years on progressive mine closure. That's a big achievement, and all the credit goes to this Coal Controller who has ensured that people spend not only at the end of the coal mine but also every five years," Kantha Rao said. He further said that in the case of non-coal, the state governments have been a bit slow in carryi

Muted coal, cement movement drags rail freight growth to 2% in Q1

In rare instance, coal freight earnings dropped in Q1; experts cite import drop

China, India cut Indonesian coal imports, shift to higher-grade supply

Coal purchases by China and India from Indonesia, world's biggest exporter, are dropping faster than their overall thermal coal imports, as both nations shift toward higher-calorific value (CV) coal

Coal India, Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corp ink pact to develop rail infra

State-owned CIL on Thursday said it has entered into a pact with Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Ltd to develop rail infrastructure of the coal behemoth and its arms. The non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between both companies in Kolkata. "Coal India Ltd (CIL) and Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Limited have executed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 05.06.2025 at Kolkata with an intent of development of Rail Infrastructure of CIL and its subsidiaries," the maharatna firm said in a BSE filing. Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Ltd is a Joint Venture Company between 11 major ports under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, holding 90 per cent of equity capital and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) under the Ministry of Railways, holding 10 per cent of equity capital. The JV was incorporated to provide efficient rail evacuation systems to major ports and to enhance their capacity and throughput. CIL accounts

India produces 2.6% more coal in May at 86 million tonnes, shows data

The growth in both production and dispatch ensures a steady coal supply to key industries such as power, steel, and cement, the Ministry of Coal said in a statement

Coal imports in April-February fall 9.2% on higher domestic output

India's coal imports declined to 220.3 mt in April-February FY25 amid a rise in domestic output, saving $6.93 billion in forex and reducing dependence on imports

Govt waives upfront fee, offers rebates to boost underground coal mining

In a bid to speed up the operationalisation of underground coal blocks, the government on Thursday announced new incentives like waiving off of the upfront payment. The push for underground coal mining aligns with the country's drive for sustainable coal production. "In a decisive step towards revitalising India's coal sector, the Ministry of Coal has introduced a series of transformative policy measures aimed at promoting underground coal mining," an official statement said. These reforms address the challenges of high capital investment and longer gestation period. "The floor percentage of revenue share for underground coal mines has been reduced from four per cent to two per cent. This targeted reduction offers substantial fiscal relief and enhances the financial viability of underground projects," the statement said. The mandatory upfront payment requirement for underground mining ventures has been completely waived. This measure removes a financial barrier, encouraging broade

Govt extends deadline to May 7 for feedback on Coal Trade Exchange rules

The government has extended the deadline to early next month for public comments on the proposed rules on Coal Trade Exchange that will facilitate the dry-fuel's trading as a commodity. "Ministry of Coal had published the proposed draft legislations on Coal Trade Exchange for public consultation... Ministry of Coal has decided to extend the last date for submission of comments/suggestions from April 6, 2025 till May 7, 2025," the coal ministry said on its website. The coal ministry has proposed to empower the Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) as the regulator for the proposed trade exchange. At present the coal sales channels in the country are specific to the government-owned coal companies, including Coal India Ltd. A need is therefore felt to provide a platform i.e. Coal Trading Exchange (CTE), to also allow commercial, captive miners a ready access to market their produce, the ministry said, adding that the public sector coal companies may also use this platform. The exchange .

India lead in new coal proposals in 2024, says Global Energy Monitor

Approximately 60 per cent of the 38.4 GW of India's new proposals are backed by state-owned entities (SOEs) using public funds