Coal news and updates

Malabar Cements floats 25,000-tons imported coal NIT

August 21: Malabar Cements, one of the leading cement manufacturers based out of Kerala, has floated a notice inviting tender (NIT) to procure 25,000 tons (+/-10%) of imported coal, an official from the company told ICMW.

The company is looking to import coal with a GCV of 6,300 Kcal/Kg, total moisture of 12% (maximum) and inherent moisture of 6%, ash content of 15%, volatile matter 18-30%, total sulphur of 1% and the size should vary between 0-50 mm, the official said.

Interested parties can submit their bids till September 12, 2014 up to 5 pm.

The coal requirement of Malabar Cements usually stands at around 50,000 tons per year most of which is imported or procured from traders. The imported coal comes mainly through the ports of New Mangalore, V O Chidambaranar, Cochin and Krishnapatnam, the official said.

Malabar Cements currently has a production capacity of 6 lakh tons per annum.

According to the official, cement demand in southern India has picked up satisfactorily June onwards and is likely to improve further in the coming days.

In Kerala, demand for cement is quite high at present and prices of the commodity are hovering around Rs 370-Rs 380 per 50-kg bags, he added.