NEW DELHI: Coal India (CIL) is outsourcing development and operation of new mines to MDOs (mine developer & operators) for the first time as the state-run behemoth seeks to become competitive in an effort to take on private miners.
The company last week appointed MDOs for seven greenfield mines with a combined annual production capacity of 100 million tonnes and is in the process of awarding eight more shortly.
The 15 mines together have a rated capacity of 169 million tonnes. Eleven of these are open cast and expected to produce 165 million tonnes per year of coal. The remaining output will come from the four underground mines.
