Ajoy K Das

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Ajoy K Das

Karnataka govt, NMDC spat over Donimalai iron-ore block escalates

28th November 2018 The spat between State-run iron-ore miner NMDC and the government of the southern Indian state of Karnataka over the Donimalai iron-ore block has escalated with both sides threatening retaliatory measures. The Karnataka government renewed the lease of the Donimalai mines in favour of NMDC earlier... →

Indian govt grapples to find causes of coal shortages

26th November 2018 The Indian government is still trying to determine the cause of a coal shortage in the country, with once section of the Coal Ministry citing excessive rainfall and deteriorating law and order in some regions, while another has blamed the State-run Coal India Limited (CIL) of tardy management.... →

Law Ministry advises against legislation changes to resume Goa iron-ore mining

21st November 2018 India’s Law Ministry has opined that the government should not resort to legislative changes to bring closed iron-ore mines back into operation in the western coastal state of Goa. The Law Ministry in a communication to counterparts in the Mines Ministry said that there was no “legislative cure”... →

Deadline for fresh exploration of expiring mining leases across India likely to be missed

20th November 2018 The Mines Ministry deadline of December 2018 for all states to complete exploration of 329 mineral blocks where mining leases are scheduled to expire on March 31, 2020, is largely going to be missed. The Mines Ministry earlier in the year directed all state governments to make mineral blocks... →

India’s Nalco to bid for bauxite blocks at auctions, readies to foray into merchant mining

16th November 2018 With various Indian state governments readying to put 21 bauxite mines up for allocation, State-run National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco) will put in bids at the auctions for captive consumption and foray into merchant mining of the raw material. The 21 bauxite blocks will be auctioned by... →

GEECL establishes viable shale gas reserves as its CBM blocks

16th November 2018 India’s Great Eastern Energy Corporation Limited (GEECL), an integrated producer of coalbed methane (CBM), will diversify its production of non-conventional hydrocarbons after establishing shale gas reserves in coal block assets in its fold. GEECL announced in a statement that it had been able to... →

India’s Petroleum, Natural Gas Ministry to overrule ONGC on small oil, gas fields

12th November 2018 ndications are emerging that the Indian government will take away oil and gas, small discovered fields (DSF) from ONGC and put them up for auction to private investors, overruling opposition from the State-run exploration and production (E&P) major. In a move that a section claims to be... →

Indian coal production shows signs of revival, but unlikely to keep pace with demand

7th November 2018 Production growth green shoots are emerging among Indian State-run coal mining companies, but it is unlikely that demand from thermal power plants will be met. Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), which has mining operations in the southern parts of the country, produced 5.27-million tons... →

West Bengal seeks commercial mining permission for Asia’s largest coal block

6th November 2018 Although the opening up of India’s coal sector has been put on the slow track, the West Bengal government is nonetheless seeking the federal government’s approval for commercial mining from a coal block allocated to it – the largest single site reserve in Asia. The West Bengal government was... →

Indian govt to divest 9% of Coal India equity

31st October 2018 In a sudden move, the Indian government on Wednesday announced that it would disinvest 9% of its equity holding in Coal India Limited (CIL) through an offer for sale (OFS) to institutional and retail investors. The sale of 9% equity from total existing government holding of 78.32% was expected... →

India extends Vedanta’s contract for Rajasthan oil, gas fields

30th October 2018 The Indian government has granted a ten-year extension to Vedanta’s contract for exploration and production at the Barmer oil and gas block in the central state of Rajasthan, possibly signalling the end of litigation between the company and government. "The government, acting through the... →

India considering ordinance to resume Goa iron-ore mining

30th October 2018 With national elections barely a year away and pressures mounting from the ground up, India’s federal government is considering bringing in an ordinance to resume iron-ore mining in the western coastal state of Goa. Sources say that local government is concerned over the impact of the closure of... →

India framing funding options for global junior exploration companies

29th October 2018 With global resource majors showing tepid interest in Indian mineral exploration projects, the Mines Ministry is working on models including offers of financial incentives for foreign junior exploration companies to undertake such projects. Government officials familiar with framing of such... →

India allows merchant sale of coal from captive blocks

29th October 2018 With commercial mining of coal unofficially on the backburner, India’s Coal Ministry has tweaked the rules of forthcoming coal block auctions to permit free merchant sales of production by successful bidders. The Coal Ministry has invited tenders for 18 coal blocks for captive mining by... →

Indian power companies need to secure more own coal mines – Minister

24th October 2018 India’s Power Ministry has directed thermal power companies to be more aggressive in securing their own coal assets and to reduce dependence on Coal India Limited, as these power plants will continue to be the country’s source of base electricity and will continue to suffer a shortage of dry fuel... →

India receives $822m investment commitment in first round of oil, gas block auction

24th October 2018 India has received an investment commitment of $822-million in oil and gas exploration through agreements with successful bidders of 55 oil and gas blocks at the recently concluded maiden auction under Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP). Of the 55 blocks, Anil Agarwal-controlled Vedanta bagged... →

India’s Coal Ministry passes strictures on Coal India

17th October 2018 Passing strident strictures on Coal India Limited (CIL) for failing to effectively review production and supplies, the Coal Ministry has directed the miner to immediately start liquidating coal stockpiles to mitigate shortages at power plants across the country. The Coal Ministry, in a rare... →

Indian potash import prices surge 21%

17th October 2018 Indian potash import prices have surged 21% to about $290/t for deliveries contracted between September 2018 and July 2019. Importers have warned that higher prices, coupled with a sharp depreciation of the Indian rupee below the Rs73 a dollar mark, would sharply increase the landed price of... →

Indian State miners to form JV for power projects

10th October 2018 Two of India’s largest State-run miners, Coal India Limited (CIL) and NLC Limited (formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited), have announced a joint venture (JV) to combine their respective strengths to implement thermal and renewable energy projects. According to mandatory filing with the... →

India to auction 102 mineral blocks in next six months

8th October 2018 In one of the most aggressive moves yet to monetise natural resources, India’s Mines Ministry is pushing to auction 102 mineral blocks in the next six months of current financial year. The Ministry’s new thrust to complete the auctions by March 31, 2019 can be gauged from the fact that since... →

India’s Mines Ministry pushes for governance of minor mineral sector

5th October 2018 India’s Mines Ministry is pushing 21 mineral bearing states to bring about better organisation and governance of the fragmented minor mineral sector, plagued by illegal mining and major law and order issues. The Mines Ministry has convened a meeting of all these states next week, to take stock... →

Indian aluminium producers seek higher import barriers

28th September 2018 Indian domestic aluminium refiners are seeking tariff and non-tariff barriers to stem the rising tide of imports of the base metal into the country, which has led to lower sales by local metal producers. Major integrated aluminium refiners in the country, including State-run National Aluminium... →

India copper imports surge

28th September 2018 Almost a third of India’s domestic demand for copper is being met through imports with local copper refiners facing a challenge to meet this cheaper inflow of the base metal into the country. “There has been a surge in copper imports particularly from countries that have signed free trade... →

Venezuela, Iran uncertainties push back ONGC Videsh listing plans

28th September 2018 Uncertainties over its assets in Venezuela and Iranian projects will push back the listing of ONGC Videsh. The wholly owned overseas investment arm of Indian national oil exploration and production (E&P) major, ONGC Limited has maintained that with its ventures in Venezuela and Iran in a limbo,... →

NMDC firms up capex for next two financial years

27th September 2018 India’s largest iron-ore miner, NMDC, has earmarked a capital expenditure (capex) of $902-million over the next two financial years. NMDC has committed this investment even as the miner is on verge of starting commercial production of its three-million-ton greenfield steel plant in the central... →

Coal India offers assured volumes to fuel-starved captive power plants

26th September 2018 Throwing a lifeline to fuel-starved captive thermal power plants, Coal India Limited (CIL) has offered assured yearly supplies of dry fuel for a period of five years with volumes allocated through e-auctions. CIL has communicated to captive power plants operated by various industries like steel,... →

China’s preference for long-term contracts affecting Indian iron-ore miners

25th September 2018 Indian overseas shipment of high-grade iron-ore fines and lumps is facing significant risks as Chinese steel mills are increasingly looking at long term supply agreements. According to three miner-exporters based in the eastern Indian province of Odisha, the largest iron-ore producer in the... →

India to incentivise consortiums to build iron-ore pellet plants

21st September 2018 India’s Mines Ministry is exploring ways to incentivise private merchant iron-ore miners to form consortiums to construct pelletisation plants in mineral bearing states, in view of a changing raw material preference of steel mills worldwide, particularly in China. Government companies like... →

India working on mechanism to check gold imports without customs duty hike

19th September 2018 The Indian government is mulling measures to curb gold imports without having to increase import duties to rein in its rising current account deficit and rapidly depreciating rupee. Sources say that increasing import duty on gold to 12% or 13% from the current rate of 10% will be the last option... →

Commercial coal mining in India potentially heading for backburner

17th September 2018 Signs are emerging that commercial coal mining in India, sans any end-use restrictions and permitting free merchant sale, will be put on the backburner, if not die a slow death altogether. Although no official acknowledgement of the same is forthcoming from any of the departments involved in... →

Coal crunch faced by Indian nonpower sector to ease, not end

14th September 2018 The coal shortage faced by the nonpower sector is expected to continue, although a reversal of the trend may emerge toward the end of the month, Coal India Limited (CIL) chairperson Anil Kumar Jha has said. “A surge in demand for coal at the start of the summer months this year forced CIL to... →

GAIL to expand natural gas pipeline capacity by 50% over next three years

12th September 2018 Having warded off the possibility of the company being split up, State-run natural gas marketer and logistic service provider GAIL India has firmed up plans to expand its gas pipeline network. GAIL will add 5 500 km of pipeline network to its existing 11 400 km, over the next three years, to... →

Indian mineral exploration policy and reality divergence

12th September 2018 The Indian government’s ostensible policy is to double mineral exploration every year with participation of domestic and foreign private players, but foreign participation in domestic non-coal mineral exploration is on a downtrend. “We are preparing a document for increasing the participation of... →

India-US dialogue to set outline for Indian crude oil imports from Iran

5th September 2018 The Indian government will not totally halt crude oil imports from Iran, but will likely show flexibility on volumes of inward shipment as a nuanced stance at the US-India bilateral engagements starting Wednesday. The Indian government reckons that this willingness to reduce crude volume imports... →

India restricts private mineral sands exports

31st August 2018 In a bid to stop illegal mineral sand exports from the country, the Indian government has decided to canalise all exports of such minerals through State-run Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL), effectively banning all private mineral sand miners from making overseas shipments. Canalising exports... →

Uranium premining activity in north-east India comes to a halt

31st August 2018 Efforts to get uranium mining under way in the north-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya came to a halt on Thursday with State-run Uranium Corporation Limited (UCIL) deciding to close down its offices in the region and terminate services of its contract workers. Meghalaya is the third richest in... →

Railway constraints take their toll on India’s captive thermal power plants

30th August 2018 Captive thermal power plants in India are facing coal supply shortages, as a result of constraints in the availability of railway wagons to transport the coal. Not officially acknowledging any shortage of coal and instead blaming distribution bottlenecks for the supply challenges, the country’s... →

Indian govt cracks the whip to get states to complete fresh exploration by year-end

30th August 2018 The Indian government has cracked the whip on mineral bearing states to ensure that they hold timely auctions of 288 mineral blocks, leases of which are slated to lapse in 2020. The federal Mines Ministry has issued an ultimatum to all mineral-bearing states to complete fresh exploration of... →

GAIL to hire out gas pipeline capacity to avoid company break-up

27th August 2018 State-run natural gas logistics and marketing major GAIL India will start hiring capacity on its vast pipeline network to third-party gas transporters in a bid to prevent government’s plans to break up the company. Under the new business plan, GAIL will offer common carriers the option of hiring... →

GAIL plans core, noncore diversification

23rd August 2018 India’s State-owned natural gas marketer and infrastructure provider, GAIL India, is seeking to diversify into ‘core’ and ‘noncore’ business verticals that extend from solar power generation and electric vehicle charging stations to water transportation pipelines. The natural gas logistics major... →

Indian coal-fired power plants likely to miss new emission control norms deadline

23rd August 2018 Indian coal-fired power plants are unlikely to meet the new emission norms by 2022, missing the deadline for the second time since the Environment Ministry first laid down compliance rules in 2015. In the 2015 notification, the Ministry made it mandatory for thermal power plants to retrofit... →

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