Coal India to offer its 20 closed underground mines to private players

Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday said that with the target to minimise the import of thermal coal, Coal India Ltd is going to offer its 20 closed/discontinued underground mines to private players on a revenue sharing model.

“Extractable reserve in the closed/discontinued coal mines is around 380 million tonnes… 30-40 million tonnes of coal can be easily extracted from the mines,” he said at an Investors meet in Mumbai, an official statement said.

Continuation of mining activities will help in increasing coal supply to thermal power plans while creating employment opportunities for local people, he added.

The Ministry has allowed concession of 50 per cent in revenue share for coal gasification.