Eight consultants bid for Coal India project.

Coal India received eight bids for consultancy services to modernise underground operations.

From 70 million tonnes in 1975, India's underground production is now down to approximately 40 mt, a mere 7 per cent of the national coal production of over 550 mt. CIL produces a mere 36 mt from its 270-odd underground mines employing nearly three lakh people.

To reverse the trend the company recently invited bids from consultants.

According to sources, those responded include: a consortium led by SPb-Giproshakht of Russia; KPMG in collaboration with the US-based mining consultant John T. Boyd Company; PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in association with Indian School of Mines (ISM) and Singareni Collieries (SCCL); Mining technology consultant Runge Pincock Minarco of Australia; ARI a reputed consultant in Shale gas or oil extraction in the US; DMT an reputed consultant in underground mining in Germany; a consortium of miner Durham-based coal mining group Hargreaves in association with mining consultant Golder Associates; and state-owned Mecon.

Coal India will now evaluate the technical bids. The selected parties will be considered for commercial bidding. The process is likely to take a couple of months to complete. The successful bidder will inspect a total of 90 mines, including some abandoned mines and highly loss-making mines to suggest ways and means to improve the productivity.


HBL