Ajoy K Das

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Ajoy K Das

India extends last date of auction bids for oil and gas fields

28th March 2018 Expecting greater response from international oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) majors, the Indian government has extended by a month the last date for submission of bids for 55 oil and gas blocks under the newly framed Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP). Government officials said... →

India mulls risky tweaking of laws defining illegal mining

28th March 2018 In view of a spate of court-imposed penalties for illegal mining, the Indian government is working on tweaking the definition of ‘illegal mining’ risking a political and legal minefield. While no official details on the possible changes in definition of illegal mining have been announced,... →

NLC India appoints Adani subsidiary as MDO for Odisha coal blocks

27th March 2018 NLC India (formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation) has signed up Adani Enterprises’ subsidiary Talabira Odisha Mining Private as the mine-developer operator (MDO) for the Talabira II and Talabira III coal blocks in Odisha. In a regulatory filing, Adani Enterprises said that it had “signed a coal... →

Coal India starts supplies to power plants under auctioned linkages

26th March 2018 State-owned miner Coal India Limited (CIL) is expected to supply an estimated 27-million tons a year to thermal power companies through long-term supply agreements secured through bidding. Long-term coal allocation was put up for auction for the first time in September and thermal companies... →

Indian iron-ore production and imports to rise in current FY

26th March 2018 Indian iron-ore production during the current financial year is expected to have grown over the previous year, and imports too are showing tentative signs of a rise. According to preliminary government data, total iron-ore production is expected to be 210-million tons at the end of March, growth... →

Only two Indian provinces ready for auction of expiring licences

22nd March 2018 With barely 24 months left before 348 mining leases expire, only two Indian states have been able to submit reports to establish a semblance of readiness to conduct fresh auctions and continuation of operations of these mines without disruptions. The Mines, Minerals Development Amendment Act... →

Goa iron-ore mine closure triggers protests and violence

22nd March 2018 The closure of iron-ore mines in Goa has triggered violence and widespread law and order problems at the start of the week as miners, families and workers from allied industries unleashed protests forcing the police to baton charge the crowd resulting in injuries and arrest of 11 protesters.... →

Political convergence emerging against commercial coal mining in India

19th March 2018 Trade unions operating in the India coal mining industry, irrespective of their political affiliations, are converging in opposing opening up coal mining for private miners, although their modes of protest form will differ. At one end of the opposition brewing up against opening up commercial... →

Iron-ore mines in Goa close down

15th March 2018 Iron-ore mining in the western Indian coastal province of Goa came to a halt on Thursday in accordance with an order issued by the Supreme Court last month. However, even as miners downed shutters and evacuated equipment from mines, on Wednesday night a Goa government Cabinet Committee... →

India’s Power Ministry seeks higher railway rakes count to avoid coal shortages

13th March 2018 With power demand poised to peak during the summer months and coal shortages at thermal power plant looming large, the Power Ministry is seeking a sharp rise in the availability of rakes for coal transportation from government-owned and -operated Indian Railways. In the course of meetings between... →

India, Venezuela to deepen hydrocarbon sector collaboration during Maduro’s New Delhi visit

28th February 2018 India and Venezuela will push for deeper engagement and joint ventures (JV) in the hydrocarbon sector during Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to New Delhi next month. Despite US sanctions against the Latin American nation, New Delhi is expected to follow its “own balanced and pragmatic... →

ONGC blames policies for Krishna-Godavari delay

27th February 2018 India’s national exploration and production (E&P) major, ONGC has said that it would miss the June 2019 deadline to start production from its deep-water Krishna-Godavari (KG) oil and gas block on the east coast. In a regulatory filing, ONGC cited changes in government policy as the reason for... →

CIL revives ‘own-your-wagon’ plans

27th February 2018 Acknowledging transportation and logistical bottlenecks as large contributing factors to dry fuel shortages at end-users plants, Coal India Limited (CIL) is drawing up plans to acquire its own railway wagons. The five-year plan will entail CIL acquiring its own wagons to transport coal to thermal... →

India sets deadline for commercial coal block auctions

26th February 2018 Close on the heels of opening up commercial coal mining for private investors last week, the Indian government has set a 2019 deadline for completing the auction process. While government officials remain tightlipped about the number of coal blocks that will be up for auction in the first... →

Indian govt pushing for JVs to acquire overseas battery mineral assets

23rd February 2018 The Indian government is considering pushing government-owned mining and mineral processing companies to form joint ventures (JV) to acquire strategic assets overseas. Senior official say that JVs will not only combine the mining expertise of these companies across various minerals, but also... →

Coal India unlikely to face significant competition from commercial coal miners

21st February 2018 Giving the final green light, the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) of the Indian government on Tuesday approved the methodology of auction of coal blocks to private miners, but analysts say that Coal India Limited (CIL) is unlikely to face significant competition in the medium term.... →

Indian captive coal mines to achieve 105Mt production by 2021

19th February 2018 Indian coal production from captive blocks allocated to thermal power plants has been estimated at 105-million tons a year by 2021/22, up from about 37-million tons a year at present, according to perspective planning on coal availability by the Power Ministry. To date, 29 coal blocks have been... →

Indian mineral royalty rate revision on the cards

15th February 2018 Signaling an imminent revision in royalties payable, barring coal, lignite and sand, the Indian government has constituted a study group to review existing rates, recommend any revision and suggest policy changes in administration of the royalty regime. According to a government order, the... →

India approves policy for auction of small oil, gas fields

13th February 2018 India’s Union Cabinet has approved the second round of the Discovered Small Field Policy, paving the way for 60 small oilfields to be put up for auction. These discovered small and unmonetised discoveries host an estimated 194.65-million tons of crude oil or crude oil equivalent natural gas. The... →

No need for new coal block auction, says India’s largest coal producer

12th February 2018 espite thermal power plants across India reeling from shortages of dry fuel and the government readying to open up the coal sector to private miners, State-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) does not believe that there is a need for fresh allocation or auctions of coal blocks. The country’s largest... →

Indian govt-owned thermal power companies allowed to swap coal

7th February 2018 To ensure optimal use of coal blocks allocated to government-owned thermal power companies, the Indian government will now allow swapping of coal between two such companies. The swap will be permitted between two government thermal companies on condition that both have been allocated coal blocks... →

Deadline proposed for new exploration on expiring mineral leases in India

6th February 2018 In a bid to derisk mineral production, the Indian government is working on amending rules and on setting a deadline for miners to complete exploration on the mineral leases that are set to expire in 2020. In the case of mining leases for iron-ore, manganese and chromite, existing lease holders... →

Coal India diversification strategy moves ahead

31st January 2018 Coal India Limited (CIL) will complete the formation of a separate independent business to undertake diversified mining before the end of the current financial year. According to company sources, CIL will comprise two business verticals, independent of each other, one taking charge of diversified... →

Leeway proposed for exploration projects in existing oil and gas fields

31st January 2018 The Indian government is likely to permit existing oil and gas field operators to undertake new exploration projects within their existing licensing area even as it goes ahead to woo new investors through auction of 55 discovered oil and gas fields. In a leeway to be offered by the Directorate of... →

Indian minerals companies consider entering mining services

30th January 2018 In view of the Indian government’s proposal to implement paradigm shifts in the mining policy regime, several domestic mineral processing companies have started toying with options of entering merchant mining or float arms to offer mine developer operator (MDO) services to new investors. Several... →

Indian iron-ore benchmark price proves elusive even as clamour mounts to check rising prices

29th January 2018 Even as clamour mounts among various segments of India’s steel industry over a shortage of iron-ore availability and the high prices of domestic raw material, evolving an acceptable benchmark price model for iron-ore is proving elusive for the government. Various steel producers, including blast... →

India likely to scrap import duties on coking coal

24th January 2018 The Indian government is likely to scrap import duties on coking coal through the National Budget 2018/19, which is scheduled to be placed before Parliament on February 1. The Steel Ministry has recommended to its counterparts in the Finance Ministry that import duties on coking coal should be... →

NMDC seeks fresh mining lease in Odisha to up iron-ore production

24th January 2018 India’s largest iron-ore miner, government-owned NMDC, has sought new mining leases from Odisha to help it produce 45-million tons in 2018/19, up from the expected 35-million tons by the end of March 31 this year. NMDC has proposed that the Odisha government issue it new mining leases from among... →

India to revamp coal block auction process

22nd January 2018 India’s Coal Ministry has initiated a revamp of the coal block auction process following the cancellation of two bidding rounds last year, owing to a poor response from non-power companies. The Ministry has set up a committee to prepare a report suggesting changes in the auction model and expects... →

India mulls incentives policy for adoption of enhanced recovery methods at oil-, gasfields

18th January 2018 The Indian government is working on a policy framework to offer incentives for the adoption of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and enhanced gas recovery (EGR) methods at all operating oil- and gasfields across the country. The draft policy in circulation among industry stakeholders notes that the... →

India resumes oil and gas block auctions after eight-year hiatus

17th January 2018 India will on Thursday hold its first oil and gas auction in eight years, with 55 blocks up for grabs. The auction will also mark the first time that such assets will be allocated under the newly framed Open Acreage Licensing Program (OALP). →

India to review coal blocks identified for allocation

16th January 2018 India’s Coal Ministry will undertake a fresh review of 117 coal blocks that were identified in 2014 for development. A committee, comprising representatives of the Coal Ministry, government-owned miner Coal India Limited and its consultancy arm, has been appointed to “identify coal and lignite... →

India’s draft national mineral policy proposes exploration incentives

15th January 2018 India’s Mines Ministry has unveiled the draft National Mineral Policy (NMP) 2018, which proposes to offer mineral exploration companies the right of first refusal at the auction of any area explored by them. The draft NMP, which is now open for feedback from industry and stakeholders, maintains... →

India’s mineral output at risk as leases are set to expire

9th January 2018 With 348 noncoal mining leases set to expire in 2020 and a lack of preparedness by provincial governments in holding fresh auctions, the country’s mineral production in the next few years is at serious risk. The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries, the apex representative body of miners, has... →

Coal India to chase higher production target despite falling short on 2017/18 goal

9th January 2018 Despite trends indicating that Coal India Limited (CIL) has missed its production target in the current financial year, the Indian government has fixed a higher target for the country’s largest miner for 2018/19. Provisional data released indicated that during April to December 2017, CIL produced... →

Odisha rules out extension of deadline for payment of illegal mining penalty

15th December 2017 With the Supreme Court set deadline of December 31, to recover dues and penalties for illegal mining in eastern province of Odisha fast approaching, the government has ruled out any extension of the deadline or recalculation of the penalties recoverable from liable miners. Officials in Odisha... →

India faces surge in coal imports over next three months

15th December 2017 Indian coal imports is likely to gain further momentum during the next three months, reversing a falling trend seen early in the financial year as more user industries are planning to up inward shipments to feed their fuel-starved captive power plants. Several companies in the chemicals, medium... →

India’s national oil, gas firms likely to get higher prices for gas from ‘difficult’ projects

14th December 2017 India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry has forwarded a proposal for approval of the Union Cabinet that will more than double the price of natural gas produced by national oil, gas exploration and production (E&Ps) companies from fields categorised as “difficult”. However, contrary to demands... →

Indian policy body stresses need to widen mineral exploration

13th December 2017 The National Institute for Transformation of India (NITI Aayog), government’s policy advisory body, has called for the proposed National Mineral Policy (NMP) to stimulate more mineral exploration, noting that only 10% of the country’s obvious geological potential (OGP) has been explored. Making... →

India’s NLC aborts overseas coal acquisition plans

12th December 2017 Indian miner and power utility NLC (formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation) is seeking a global mine developer and operator to operationalise two of its coal blocks in Odisha. The group is expecting at least 20-million tons a year from these two assets, which have a combined reserve of 550-million... →

India’s GAIL earmarks $940m for pipeline expansion

12th December 2017 Indian oil and gas infrastructure major GAIL India has announced a three-year capital investment of $940-million to add 2 500 km to its existing gas pipeline network across the country. On Monday, government owned GAIL announced that contracts had been awarded for construction of a 520 km... →

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