India's Coal Ministry pushes Uttar Pradesh on stalled 973-million-tonne captive block

India's Coal Ministry urged Uttar Pradesh to accelerate work on its captive coal block to build long-term fuel supplies for state thermal plants and cut reliance on outside coal, according to Event Registry.

The Saharpur Jamarpani block sits in Dumka district, Jharkhand, carries reserves above 973 million tonnes, and was awarded to UPRVUNL in 2015 under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 to fuel the state utility's thermal projects.

The ministry said UPRVUNL has made no progress on operationalising the mine more than 10 years after allotment, blaming a lack of requisite initiative. Coal India therefore still supplies the full coal requirement of Uttar Pradesh's power plants.

The ministry the same day opened the 16th round of commercial coal auctions, putting 25 blocks across nine coal-bearing states on offer, The Hindu BusinessLine reported. The blocks span Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal, with 21 fully explored and four partially explored. Six mines fall under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act and 19 under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.

Bidding is open to mining companies, new entrants and technology-driven firms under a framework that allows 100% foreign direct investment via the automatic route, applies no end-use restrictions, and sets low upfront payments adjustable against future revenue share.