en.Wedoany.com Reported - In March 2026, India's Ministry of Coal signed Coal Mine Development and Production Agreements (CMDPAs) with Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for three commercial coal blocks. The three blocks are the Dhulia North, Mandakini B, and Pirpainti Barahat coal mines, with a combined peak rated capacity of 49 million tons per year. These blocks were successfully auctioned in India's 13th round of commercial coal mining auctions, and detailed exploration work for all three has been completed【0†L1-L4】.
According to estimates by India's Ministry of Coal, these three coal projects are expected to generate approximately 46.21 billion rupees in annual revenue for the Indian government and attract around 73.5 billion rupees in capital investment. Beyond driving economic benefits, the projects are also projected to create about 66,248 direct and indirect jobs, promoting livelihood improvements and regional development in the coal-producing areas. Damodar Valley Corporation was established on July 7, 1948, as India's first multi-purpose river valley development project after independence, headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal. Modeled after the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the United States, the company currently operates a power grid with a total installed capacity of approximately 7,000 MW and is expanding into the renewable energy sector.
The Damodar Valley, located in eastern India and spanning the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal, is one of India's most important industrial and mining hubs. The region holds about 75% of India's coal reserves, is the country's sole source of coking coal, and is a crucial raw material source for the steel industry. Subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL) – Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), and Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) – are responsible for operating most of the coal mines in the region. The coal is primarily supplied to Tata Steel, the Bokaro Steel Plant, and numerous large pithead power stations.
According to data released concurrently by India's Ministry of Coal, in the 2025-26 fiscal year (up to March 2026), coal production from captive, commercial, and other categories of mines in India exceeded 200 million tons on March 11, 2026, with captive and commercial mines contributing 194.17 million tons. This fiscal year's production target was achieved 24 days earlier than the full-year total for the 2024-25 fiscal year, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 10.6%. During the same period, India's coal production continued to exceed consumption. The total national coal stock (including in-transit) reached 156.58 million tons, with thermal power plant coal reserves at about 54.05 million tons, resulting in a combined usable stock of approximately 210 million tons, sufficient for about 88 days of coal demand. The Ministry of Coal stated that it will continue to implement policy facilitation measures to ensure the stability of coal supply, aiming to achieve the long-term development goal of "Viksit Bharat 2047" (Developed India 2047).
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