Mine auction: Jindal Power, Hindalco win coal blocks in Chhattisgarh

New Delhi: Jindal Power Ltd today bagged two coal mines in Chhattisgarh for an estimated Rs 1,679 crore, while Aditya Birla group-firm Hindalco Industries won a block there for estimated Rs 14,858.9 crore, taking the total number of mines won by the companies so far to 15. Coal Secretary Anil Swarup tweeted, “Gare Palma 4/2&3 goes at 108”. Sources said it has been won by Jindal Power.[caption id=“attachment_2068829” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] A senior coal ministry official said: “Gare Palma IV/5 mine was won by Hindaco Industries at Rs 3,502 per tonne today. The mine was put on offer yesterday and the bidding for the block lasted for over 12 hours.” The companies which were vying for Gare Palma IV/2 and IV/3 mines included Adani Power Maharashtra, D B Power, GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Ltd, Jindal Power Ltd, Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd, JSW Energy Ltd, KSK Mahanadi Power Company Ltd, Reliance Geothermal Power Pvt Ltd and Sesa Sterlite. The companies in the race for Gare Palma IV/5 mine included Ambuja Cements, BALCO, Hindalco and Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd. The bidding for Bicharpur mine is still underway. The companies in the race for the block includes ACC Ltd, Hindalco Industries, Hindustan Zinc, Jaypee Cement Corp, Monnet Ispat & Energy, OCL India Ltd Ltd and UltraTech Cement Ltd. States, including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal, are set to get over Rs 50,000 crore from the coal blocks sold in the ongoing auction, sources said. The total number of blocks sold so far is 15. The government is auctioning the coal blocks after the Supreme Court cancelled allocation of 204 mines in September last year. It has put 19 mines on block in the first tranche. GMR Chhattisgarh Energy, Reliance Cement, Sunflag Iron and Steel, Jaiprakash Associates and BALCO are among the companies that have bagged coal mines so far in the auction. Gare Palma IV-5 mine has estimated extractable reserves of 42.43 MT, while Gare Palma IV 2&3 together have extractable coal reserves of 155.49 MT. The government has put on offer 19 coal blocks in first lot. The last day for the auction of mines in the first tranche is 22 February. PTI