State-run firms tie up to secure coal supplies abroad

October 15th, 2009 KOLKATA - State-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) has raised the price of coal produced by its subsidiaries by an average of 11 percent effective from Oct 16, the company said here Thursday. "Such increase is being effected after a gap of almost two years.

September 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The power sector will continue to be largely dependant on coal-based thermal power plants to meet its energy needs for the next 15-20 years, Power Secretary H.S. Brahma said Thursday.

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.

August 21st, 2009 LUCKNOW - Power generation in energy-starved Uttar Pradesh could see its electricity generation going down by a further 800 MW to 1,000 MW daily on account of poor quality of coal, officials say. Irked over the quality of coal, the state-owned power generation firm Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpandan Nigam has lodged a protest with the three main suppliers of the feedstock -- Bharat Coking Coal, Northern Coalfields and Central Coalfields -- the officials said.

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 - 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 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 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 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.

May 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government may hike coal prices marginally, Minister of State for Coal (Independent Charge) Sriprakash Jaiswal said here Friday. "Keeping in view the current economic situation, we can hike the price if required, but the hike will be marginal," Jaiswal told reporters after taking charge.

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.

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.

January 13th, 2009 MUMBAI - Five state-owned companies forged a pact Wednesday to secure coal assets overseas through a joint venture company. National Thermal Power Corp (NTPC), the country's largest power company, said in a statement that it has signed an agreement with other coal, mineral and steel utilities to float a special purpose vehicle to secure and develop coal assets overseas.

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.