| In a move to reduce India's dependence on imports gross calorific value (GCV) normally consumed by Sponge Iron sector, the company has put on offer an all-time high of 35 million tonnes (MTs) under linkage auction route. The auction is scheduled to be held on 12 June 2026 and is expected to help lower imports of this grade of coal. Responding to demands from the steel (coking) sector, the company has allowed them to sell coal middlings in the open market. Middlings are power grade coal that are residual byproduct of washed raw coking coal. While some steel plants consume these quantities in captive power generation, surplus volumes can now be sold externally. The provision has been introduced under the ongoing Tranche-X linkage auctions, which commenced on 3 June 2026. The company has offered 13.75 MTs coal to Steel (coking) sub-sector in current tranche, while also permitting the change of consortium partners over the duration of the linkage period. Earlier, they had the option of changing the partners twice during the contract, which is now increased to five. The company has also eased norms for NRS consumers planning greenfield and brownfield projects. Such consumers can now secure coal linkages before project commissioning. They can source coal within three years after the participation in the linkages which enables them to secure bank loans as fuel sourcing is tied up with this. It gives them greater leverage in the market. The company continues to meet coal requirements of the power sector through various auction windows. Between January and May of the current fiscal year, the company offered 57.8 MT of coal under Window-II (short-term) and 69.2 MT under Window-I (long- and medium-term). The company said that it continues to meet the coal requirements of the power sector. As a natural occurrence, coal stock levels tend to shrink at coal fired plants, fueled by peak summer demand. Therefore, marginal decline in coal stocks at power plants is not a cause for concern, as sustained coal production is ensuring continuous replenishment of fresh stocks. The company will be conducting the next round of shortterm auctions under SHAKTI policy on 8 June, for power sector consumers, where around 34 MTs of coal would be put on the block. Coal India is India's largest coal producer and a Maharatna public sector undertaking. The company primarily engages in coal mining and production and supplies coal to power, steel, cement, fertilizer and other industrial sectors. For the quarter ended March 2026, Coal India reported a 12.9% increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 10,839.18 crore, while revenue from operations rose 5.75% to Rs 46,490.03 crore compared with the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The counter declined 1.96% to end at Rs 472.30 on the BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News |