Coal news and updates

Allow private miners in coal production, Plan panel to tell PMO

The Planning Commission plans to recommend to the Prime Minister's Office that the government should allow private miners to sell coal, a move that could augment the efforts of state-run monopoly miner Coal IndiaBSE 0.00 % and boost fuel supply to starved power plants.

The Commission is set to make this recommendation on July 26 as part of its presentations on performance of various infrastructure ministries, a senior Coal ministry official told ET.

"The presentation will stress on supplementing efforts of coal PSUs (public sector units) with production from private sector," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the commission would also emphasise on simplification of procedures to grant time-bound environment and forest clearances to coal mining projects

Many of India's power plants have been running below capacity for want of coal supply and Coal India has been finding it difficult to meet the rising demand for the fuel. Coal mining in several key states has been held up due to regulatory issues.

Secretaries of various ministries including coal and power are also expected to be part of the meeting where the commission will make the presentations.

Source: The Economic Times