More than eight months after the government scrapped the controversial ‘no-go’ policy, which had banned mining in some areas, state-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) is still struggling to operate its new projects located in the so-called no-go areas in the absence of a formal go-ahead from the environment ministry.

The delay is set to stem the miner’s efforts to meet new supply obligations, further aggravating the ongoing coal crisis in the country. “Since September last year, only two of our new mining projects have received clearance and, that too, outside of the no-go list.

New Delhi Lack of assured coal linkages may drive 18 firms to open market

As many as 18 upcoming power projects with an aggregate capacity of over 25,000 MW might be forced to violate their tariff commitments and seek a much higher price from consumers. This is because the coal ministry has rejected a request from the developers of these projects for assured coal linkages and they might have no other option but to resort to the open market for fuel.

Villagers living in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh have written to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) contending that handing over a sizeable section of the forests of Mahan will mean a loss to both the individual and community forest rights.

The letter was written on March 15, 2012, and was submitted to the local divisional forest officer. A decision on the allocation of the Mahan coal block to Mahan Coal Ltd, a joint venture company of Essar and Hindalco power plants, is awaiting a green signal from the environment ministry.

New Delhi: The Chhatrasal coal block in Madhya Pradesh is in the eye of a storm again, with the group of ministers (GoM) forcing the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to review its decision to deny forest clearance. The allocation of the block had evoked the CAG’s ire, and the top auditor has said it gave an undue Rs 4,875-crore benefit to Reliance Power Limited against its Sasan UMPP.

Current Indian investment may not be hit immediately

The Australian government’s move to impose 30 per cent tax on coal mining and iron ore profits might not affect any Indian investment in that country immediately, but could have an impact on Indian companies, including state-run mining major Coal India Limited (CIL), which are scouting for assets Down Under.

Tata Power, Reliance Power, ArcelorMittal, Jindal Steel & Power and Monnet Ispat & Energy are among 60 companies that face the risk of cancellation of mining licences for being slow in exploration of coal blocks.
A review committee, headed by coal ministry’s additional secretary Zohra Chatterjee, has recommended issuing ‘show-cause notices’ for 58 blocks seeking reasons why mining licences should not be revoked. A ministry official said appropriate action would be initiated against companies that are not able to justify the delay.

Reliance Power Ltd and Essar Power Ltd will have to wait for some more time to secure clearances for coal blocks in Chhattrasal and Mahan respectively in Madhya Pradesh, allocated for their ultra mega projects. This is because the Group of Ministers headed by the Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, on Thursday agreed to the proposal of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) to send an expert team to reassess the forest cover loss in these blocks, located in the biodiversity-rich areas of Madhya Pradesh.

The government on Thursday decided to relocate the Rs 10,000-crore Karanpura power plant, being set up in Jharkhand by NTPC Ltd, and laid the blueprint for faster environment clearance for two coal blocks of private power producers.

The decisions were taken by a 12-member Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The blocks, Mahan and Chhatrasal, had been hanging fire for the past two years as they fell under the “no-go” regions demarcated by the environment ministry when it was headed by Jairam Ramesh.

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has slapped Rs 13.77 crore penalty on Hindalco for unauthorised sale and inept handling of anode butts which are generated as waste from the company’s Hirakud plant. Invoking the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle, the Board penalised the Aditya Birla Group-owned company for violation of the Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2008, under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Green clearance to coal blocks allocated to ultra mega power projects of companies such as Reliance Power, Essar and Adani are likely to be taken up by the ministerial panel on March 1.

Private power developers have been seeking Government intervention at the highest level for expediting environmental and forest clearances for these captive blocks.
The blocks