Minister hints at hiking coal prices

September 3rd, 2009 SYDNEY - Indian minister Sri Prakash Jaiswal is in Australia to search for "some foreign coal" so that his country's energy needs are met. Jaiswal, who is India's minister of state for coal, has visited coal mines in New South Wales and Queensland.

July 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Coal shortage is crippling the power production of state-run NTPC Ltd, which has reported a loss of 126 million units in generation between April and June this year, a union minister said here Monday. "NTPC's power stations at Farakka, Kahalgaon, Sipat, Talcher and Korba were affected due to shortage of coal supply," Minister of State for Power Bharatsinh Solanki told the Rajya Sabha.

June 30th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Accusing the central government of bias in coal mine allocation, Orissa Tuesday demanded more coal to fuel its industrialisation drive. Speaking at a seminar organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), a state official said Orissa gets only 7.67 percent of the total coal allocation though it has 24.29 percent of the total coal reserves in the country.

June 30th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - India will soon get a coal index to track the coal price movement in the country. India's leading e-commerce company Mjunction Services Ltd will launch the index in the second week of July, a company official said Tuesday.

June 24th, 2009 KOLKATA - Coal blocks will be allocated to various sectors through the auction process, Coal Minister Sriparakash Jaiswal said here Wednesday. For this, the concerned Act will be amended, the minister told reporters, and added that the move would ensure transparency and add to the government's revenues.

June 24th, 2009 KOLKATA - The government is not considering raising coal prices, coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said here Wednesday. "That is not our priority now," Jaiswal said when reporters bombarded him with queries on a possible increase rise in coal prices.

June 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government is considering divesting up to 10 percent stake in the state-run Coal India Ltd, the country's largest coal miner, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said here Tuesday. "We are working on a proposal to disinvest 5 to 10 percent stake in Coal India.

June 16th, 2009 New Delhi, June 15(ANI): Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora has expressed his concern over the rise in international crude oil prices and said that the government is looking at solutions to tackle the widening revenue deficit, hinting at a rise in petrol and diesel prices. "We are seriously concerned about the rise in crude oil prices.

June 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government is "strongly considering" to allow commercial coal mining by private companies in a bid to bridge the demand-supply gap, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said Monday. "We are strongly considering to allow commercial coal mining by private firms," Jaiswal told reporters here.

June 11th, 2009 MUMBAI - Any hike in steel prices is unjustifiable as the cost of iron ore and coking coal have come down since last year, Steel Secretary P.K. Rastogi said here Thursday.

April 29th, 2009 Massey plans pay cuts amid low coal demandCHARLESTON, W.Va. — Coal producer Massey Energy's shares are up more than 24 percent after it announced plans to slash wages and benefits for all employees about 6 percent in the face of declining demand and prices.

March 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - State-run Coal India Ltd has been allocated two coal blocks in the southeast African state of Mozambique, it was announced here Thursday. The formal intimation on the acquisition was sent by the Indian high commission in that country to Coal India recently, a government statement said.

February 2nd, 2009 KOLKATA - Coal India chairman Partha Sarathi Bhattacharyya Tuesday hinted at hiking coal prices, but said any such decision would be taken after ensuring that end-users remained globally competitive. With the company incurring a burden of Rs.52 billion (Rs.5,200 crore) for paying arrears since July 2006 - when the recently-signed eighth national wage settlement for Coal India employees came into retrospective effect - and for making provisions for the enhanced gratuity bill.

January 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - Domestic coal will not get any cheaper, India's largest coal company said here Thursday. 'International prices may fall depending on demand but domestic prices won't fall further as it is sold at much discounted rates,' Coal India Ltd (CIL) chairman Partha S.

December 25th, 2008 RANCHI - Efforts are going on to get coal blocks in three countries, including the US, said minister of state for coal Santosh Bagrodia here Friday. 'We are making efforts to get coal blocks in the United States, Indonesia and Mozambique.