Coal India (CIL) is likely to invite nine shortlisted private companies from India and abroad for turnkey development and long-term operation of high capacity underground mines in seven virgin blocks, in a pre-bid meeting by end-February. In all, seventeen companies had submitted EoIs in June 2008.

The short listed companies are - Walter South East Asia, Essel Mining, Anglo American, Reliance Infrastructure, Xeng Zhou Coal Mining Machineries Group, Essar Mineral Resources, Tiandi Science and Technology, Europe Ventures Ltd and Bucyrus DBT Europe GmbH.

The blocks which are to be developed are Tilaboni under Eastern Coalfields; Kapuria of Bharat Coking Coal; Jagannath of Mahanadi Coalfields; Behraband and Khairaha under South Eastern Coalfields; and Murpar and Borda under Western Coalfields. Of the seven blocks, Kapuria in Jharkhand is a prime coking coal reserve. Eastern Coalfields, Bharat Coking Coal, Mahanadi Coalfields, South Eastern Coalfields and Western Coalfields are wholly-owned subsidiaries of CIL.

The projects, with an estimated annual production capacity of 3-5 million tonne each, will be funded by Coal India. CIL is likely to invest between Rs.600 crore and Rs.1,500 crore for development of each reserve.  

Also See:

CIL discards Rio Tinto's offer for developing coal mines (27-Jan-09)