Ministry of Coal today opened the bids for the 14th round of Commercial Coal Blocks’ Auction, witnessing encouraging participation from industry stakeholders. Coal Ministry said in a statement that bids were received for 24 coal blocks out of the 41 blocks offered in this round, reflecting sustained industry interest in India’s commercial coal mining framework.

The online bids were decrypted and opened electronically in the presence of the bidders. Sealed envelopes containing offline bid documents were also opened in the presence of bidders. The entire process was displayed live on the screen for the bidders, ensuring complete transparency.

Under this round, 49 bids have been received against 24 coal blocks out of 41 coal blocks. A total of 11 companies participated in the auction process, including five new entrants bidding for the first time under the commercial coal mining regime.