Beating JSW Cement and two others, BS Ispat won the first block on Day 3 of coal auctions.
The company’s bid for ₹918 a tonne emerged as the highest for the Marki Mangli III block in Maharashtra. Bidding for the other two blocks on offer – Trans Damodar in West Bengal and Mandla North in Chhattisgarh – were on till late evening.
The Marki Mangli III block, reserved for the non-power sector, has 4.20 million tonnes (mt) of mineable reserves and BS Ispat’s bid beat JSW Cement, Sunflag Iron and Steel and Topworth Urja and Metals. The previous owner of the block was Topworth Urja and Metals.
Bidders for the Trans Damodar block in West Bengal, which has 48.40 mt of mineable reserves and is kept for the power sector, include Day 2’s winners CESC, Essar Power, GMR Chhattisgarh, JSW Energy, Lalitpur Power Generation Company Ltd, Durgapur Projects Ltd and Water Hyacinth Commosale Pvt Ltd. The block was previously owned by West Bengal Mineral Development Corporation. Mandla North for the non-power sector has 143 mt of mineable reserves and the bidders are Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (BALCO), Hindalco, UltraTech, Hindustan Zinc and Jaiprakash Associates.
On Sunday, apart from Aditya Birla Group’s Hindalco Industries Ltd, Sunflag Iron and Steel won the Belagaon block in Maharashtra for ₹ 1,785 a tonne.
The Sarisatolli block in West Bengal, which was reserved for the power sector, went to CESC Ltd for ₹470 a tonne.