JSW Steel, JSPL, BALCO Among Bidders For 11 Coal Mines

JSW Steel, Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL) and Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) were among the major companies which put in their bids for 11 coal mines on Wednesday.

In all, 21 entities entered their bids in the latest auction of coal mines. A total of 26 bids were received for the auction of coal mines under the fourth tranche of sale of coal, the coal ministry said in a statement.

Five of the 11 coal mines put on auction received single bids.

The Gare Palma IV/6 mine in Chhattisgarh received a maximum of eight bids.

The mine was originally allotted jointly to JSPL and Malwa Sponge Iron Ltd in January 2006 to meet the coal requirement of their respective sponge iron plants in nearby Raigarh and Taraimal districts, respectively. However, the allocations, along with others, were cancelled by the Supreme Court 2014.

Utkal B1 & B2 mines in Odisha received six bids, while Chinora in Maharashtra got four and three bids came in for Rabodih OCP in Jharkhand.

"The process of 4th tranche of the auction of coal mines for sale of coal was launched on December 16, 2021. The last date of submission of the technical bid was February 28, 2022," the statement said, adding the bids were opened on Wednesday.

It said a total of 26 bids have been received against 11 coal mines.

"Two or more bids have been received for five coal mines. JSW Steel, JSPL, Shyman Metalics & Energy Limited, Mahanadi Mines and Minerals Private Limited and Sarda Mines Private Limited bid for two mines each, while BALCO, BS Ispat, Sarda Energy & Mineral Limited and Rungta Sons Private Limited were among the firms that put in single bids," the statement said.