The Mining Boom

India's increasing coal projects drive a surge in mining equipment demand!

The next 10 years will be an important period for mining in India

Karthik Bala, Mining Regional Manager, Resource Industries Sales, Services and Technology, Caterpillar India, speaks on the company’s technological offerings for the mining segment.

Mining opportunities!

Government’s thrust on coal mining is expected to significantly impact demand for mining equipment.

Bringing biodiesel on the market

Fuel costs and India’s reliance on foreign fuel sources are a constant concern for many construction owners whose businesses are heavily dependent on machinery that requires diesel. Many alternate energy sources have been discussed, researched, and used in the past but, for equipment, the primary form of alternate fuel has become biodiesel.

OTR tyre market has bright prospect

India OTR tyre market stood at 11.2 million units in 2021 and forecasted to reach 15 million units by 2023. The market is likely to grow at a CAGR of 9.05 per cent in volume terms.

Leading mining companies are now taking steps towards digitalisation

Alok Kumar Verma, Director – Mining Business (India Region), Hexagon Mining, elaborates on the mining scenario in India and how digital solutions can transform the industry.

We will continue to focus on infrastructure projects

Established in 1960, Atlas Copco India is the country’s leading manufacturer of innovative solutions in air compressors and industrial gases, energy efficient vacuum pumps, portable compressors, light towers.

OTR tyres on the move

With construction activities picking up and mining activities on a revival mode, the OTR tyre demand in the country is expected to grow in the coming years.

Mining market scenario

The upcoming mining reforms are expected to drive the demand for advanced mining equipment technologies and solutions.

We are planning to introduce digital dashboards

Indranil Roy, Director - Mining, thyssenkrupp Industries India, shares some facts on the company’s presence in bulk material handling space and the market trend.

Mining opportunities and challenges

Ritabrata Ghosh, Associate Head, Corporate Sector Ratings, ICRA writes on the mining scenario in India.

We see huge potential for digital technologies in mining

Alok Kumar Verma, Director - Mining Business (India Region), Hexagon Mining, elaborates on the mining scenario in India and how digital solutions can transform the industry.

We are very positive towards underground mining

For underground coal mining, continuous miner technology has proved to be flexible, productive and more suitable for Indian conditions. Shib Bhowmik, Managing Director, Komatsu Mining Corp, India, shares more on the current scenario and technology trends in underground mining.

41 coal mines on offer for commercial coal mining

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the auction process of 41 coal blocks for commercial mining, through video conference. The Coal Ministry in association with FICCI launched the process for auction of these coal mines. A two stage electronic auction process is being adopted for allocation of the coal mines.

Towards better Mining

The measures announced by the government for mining industry are expected to have a positive impact in the coming years.

41 coal mines on offer for commercial coal mining

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the auction process of 41 coal blocks for commercial mining, through video conference.

Coal Ministry initiatives to improve mining efficiency

The Coal Ministry has taken initiatives to re-visit old laws with an aim to improve efficiency, ease of doing business and to open up coal sector

On revival Path

In spite of the current slowdown, tyre market for off-highway applications is going to revive in the coming years due to an anticipated pick up in infrastructure developments in future.

Government?s coal mining plans in FY20

The Union Government has planned exploration of 37 coal blocks and 10 lignite blocks along with drilling of 121 coal blocks and one lignite block in the current fiscal in addition to exploration and drilling of coal blocks allocated to Coal India (CIL), according to Pralhad Joshi, Union Coal Minister.

Looking for a Turnaround

Govt to allot 9 coal blocks to PSUs

The government has invited applications from state-run companies for allotment of nine coal mines for captive power generation and commercial use.

Privatisation of coal mining

India's coal demand-supply balance still remains tilted in favour of coal imports as the state-run miners, Coal India and the Singareni Collieries Company have been unable to entirely meet India's coal demand, especially for higher grade thermal coal/washed coal and coking coal.

Revival on Cards?

India is witnessing an improved growth trend in coal mining, as Coal India Ltd (CIL) is aiming an output of one billion tonne by 2020. CIL has earmarked a capital investment of Rs 57,000 crore, as part of the road map for one billion tonne target, with a planned capex of Rs 8,500 crore in 2017-18.

Poor response to coal mines auction; govt cancels fifth round

Poor response from bidders has forced the government to annul the fifth round of coal mines auction. The government in a notice to the bidders, said, ?The tender process for the coal mines being auctioned under fifth tranche of auction of coal mines has been terminated in accordance with Clause 3.3.2(b) of the tender document

Govt to review coal block allocations

The government will review the status of 72 coal blocks allocated either through allotment or auction route to various companies.

NTPC to invest in coal blocks

NTPC has lined up investments worth Rs 2,648 crore for developing three coal blocks in Odisha. This includes investment of Rs 684 crore in the Dulanga coal block, Rs 1,500 crore in the Mandakini-B coal block, and the Rs 500 crore investment in Kudanali-Luburi coal block.

Rs 2,779-cr revenue genrated from 83 coal mines

The government has so far generated a revenue of approximately Rs 2,779 crore from the auction and allotment of 83 coal blocks, Minister of state for Coal, Power, New and Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal informed Parliament.

Government should fast-track the procurement

After a lull in the past three years, mining, especially coal, is set to show significant growth in the next few years. Coal India (CIL) is doing its best to increase coal production quickly, from the current 568 million tonne per annum (mtpa) to 927 mtpa by 2020.

Coal ministry to allot 7 blocks to power companies

The Ministry of Coal has identified seven big coal blocks for allotment to power generation companies of six states.

Indian Mining Poised to Boom

Coal ministry to allot 7 blocks to power companies

The Ministry of Coal has identified seven big coal blocks for allotment to power generation companies of six states. The blocks on offer include Deocha Pachami with 2,102 million tonne (mt) of coal reserves in West Bengal, Ghograpalli with 1,163 mt, Jaduanathpur with 525 mt in Odisha, Pokharia Paharpur with 584 mt and North Kathara with 305 mt in Jharkhand.

Zooming Ahead

Trucks and heavy tractors for cargo haulage and transportation of aggregate materials, coal, overburden from mines, iron ore and other bulk materials, are riding the curve of exponential growth.

The Earth Movers and Shakers

As a consequence of the excavation activity gaining momentum, earthmovers like front-end loaders, crawler dozers, traxcavators and other earthmoving equipment are registering a CAGR of 15-18 per cent. Since the Indian economy is reviving, these equipment are also finding emerging markets in other sectors as well.

Waking up to New Demand

The demand for crawler dozers is expected to be driven by the various government-sponsored infrastructure projects coming up in the country, and the new momentum in the mining industry.

On Course for Success

Bright prospects lie ahead for dumpers, but cost-effective conveyors may pose serious competition in the future, finds Charu Bahri. Industry voices affirm a turnaround has happened in the off highway dumper segment

Large Miners Forward

While the global mining industry is on the decline, India is witnessing a reverse trend. Many international mining equipment manufacturers are showcasing their products at BAUMA 2016, Germany, in a big way, at a time when Coal India

Coal and iron ore will continue to be the growth drivers for large mining equipment.

Large mining equipment are primarily used with Coal India subsidiaries and some corporate mining companies viz, Vedanta, Reliance etc. A few mine developer-cum-operators (MDOs)

India will soon see a paradigm shift in mining methods

We are confident that India will soon see a paradigm shift in mining methods and the way in which mining companies deploy equipment, and we shall witness deployment of state-of-the-art large size mining equipment in India

Coal block auctions for captive in Nov

The fourth round of auctions of coal blocks for captive use are set to take place in November. The government is in the process of finalising 8-10 blocks for the unregulated non-power sectors including cement, steel and aluminium

Versatility, reliability, durability and unmatched performance excite customer to choose CAT excavators

Traditionally, excavators with operating weight 10 to 24 tonne are classified as medium range and in the last five years, their sales constitute above 70 per cent of the total excavator sales, out of which 20-24 tonne category accounts for approximately 50 per cent and 10-15 tonne is approximately 20 per cent.

Diggies to Scoop the Growth Pie

Market indicators show visible signs of economic recovery and infrastructure development. Crawler excavator segment is expected to witness resurgence in sales from 2015 and is expected to grow to 26 per cent.

Positive Indicators

Indicators are hinting that the economic momentum is back in India. The Index of Industrial Production shows capital goods output rose 11 per cent in April and slow moving projects are reviving.

We have plans to start more offices in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

With the government giving more focus on smart cities, we feel the other smaller cities will also develop parallelly and there will be demand for construction equipment, says B Lakshminarayana, Managing Director, Sri Sai Infra Equipment Pvt Ltd.

Wheel loaders - Optimising Productivity

Cycle time is a critical success factor in all bulk handling applications. Ramifications of high cycle time even extend to bulk handlers securing business. Wheel loaders are extensively used bulk handling tools wherein high productivity is of essence.

Ready for Long Haulage

COMMERCIAL vehicle industry experienced one of the worst and the longest spell of recessions during last three years. However, the good news is that it is reviving now. The heavy-duty (HD) trucks industry hit the peak level in 2011 with a sales of 241,000 and it dropped to 130,000 in 2013.

Mining Growth

India is on track to overtake the US as the second-largest coal consumer after China this decade. India wants to more than double coal output to 1.5 billion tonne by 2020. The central government has already taken specific actions including e-auctions of coal blocks; 28 blocks are already allocated and more blocks to be e-auctioned soon.

Gaining Momentum

A renewed thrust on coal mining, coupled with plans to implement more projects in various infrastructure segments at a faster pace has rekindled the growth prospects of tyre industry in India. Major tyre manufacturers are busy introducing innovative products and scaling up volume to meet the expected demand in the future.

Smooth Ride Ahead

Tyre market in India is on a revival mode with some demand growth in the coming years. Starting this year, major user segments like mining, construction and material handling (ports) have become more active with government opening up coal blocks, investment plans for roads, ports and other infrastructure segments.

Mining - A New Chapter

Finally, there is good news for the Indian mining industry. The Indian Parliament has recently passed the Coal Mines Special Provisions Bill and Mines and Minerals Development (MMDR). Definitely, a huge shot in the arm for this industry and all its stakeholders.

Excavators to Dominate

Within the Indian construction equipment industry, the crawler excavator segment is the largest by value and the second largest, after backhoe loaders, in terms of number of units sold.

Diggers to get busier

The numbers published by ICEMA clearly shows that there is a slight uptake on the larger equipment like excavators and wheel loaders. In the smaller equipment like mini excavators, backhoe loaders etc have still to pick up the trend. Elaborating the prevailing scenario and the growth drivers.

Mining Potential

With the growing demand for increased output of coal and iron ore and other minerals, the demand for mining equipment and machinery is expected grow manifold.

Demand for mining equipment from PSUs is expected to increase

Gmmco is fully geared up to serve its customers with efficient product support, so they achieve maximum uptime and productivity of CAT fleet, says S Ananthakrishnan, AVP, Mining Project Sales, Gmmco. Excerpts from the interview.

Demand for mining equipment from PSUs is expected to increase

Gmmco is fully geared up to serve its customers with efficient product support, so they achieve maximum uptime and productivity of CAT fleet, says S Ananthakrishnan, AVP, Mining Project Sales, Gmmco.

Mining Potential

With the growing demand for increased output of coal and iron ore and other minerals, the demand for mining equipment and machinery is expected grow manifold. The mining sector has gone through major challenges in the last few years. For instance, the CE industry

Catalysing Growth

Winds of change are here to stay! Investment in the construction development sector has a multiplier effect on the economy by way of infrastructure creation; substantial employment generation over the entire spectrum,

Coal India eyes foreign coal assets

India's coal giant Coal India Ltd (CIL) is eyeing global coal assets to tide over the growing domestic demand. The company plans to form a consultants panel which would help in acquiring, developing and operating coal blocks abroad.

Inter Ministerial Group meets on 10th June to discuss on 61 coal blocks

The Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) on coal blocks under the Chairmanship of Additional Secretary coal will meet on June 10 to discuss the issue of bank guarantees related to 61 mines allocated to companies like Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and Power and ArcelorMittal. In February, 2014 based on the IMG recommendation, the Coal Ministry decided to deallocate around 30 coal of companies like JSPL, ArcelorMittal and Sterlite Energy for delays in developing the mines for captive consumption

OGPC invites EPC bids for coal handling plant at Manoharpur

Odisha Power Generation Corporation Ltd (OPGC) is setting up 2x660 MW (Units 3&4) supercritical coal fired thermal power station at lb Thermal Power Station, Banharpali, Jharsuguda, Odisha. To fulfil the fuel requirement for this capacity addition project, two adjacent coal blocks - Manoharpur (181.68 MT) and its Dip side (350 MT) has been allotted

Groz comes up with new products every few months

We are trying to leverage our current business potential with the existing account. We are also looking to diversify into other businesses like agricultural equipment,

We need a structured regulatory and policy framework for PPP models in mining sector.

The government has to release mining leases for iron ore, change or to amend environment policies and allocate more coal blocks and coal mining to private contractors.

Government should fast-track the land acquisition process

Gmmco, well supported by Caterpillar, is the one-stop shop for mining equipment and solutions. We offer the complete range of Cat surface and underground mining machines

Mandate for action

The CE sector, for its part, needs to look ahead. Looking back, it would seem, everything possible for a new growth story has been done, put in place. Looking forward is the only way; the pace may be painfully slow but is expected to be steady.

Getting ready for the upturn

In spite of the unfavourable market dynamics, most of the OEMs have adopted innovative strategies to sustain themselves while keeping an eye on the coming boom. Innovative strategies are developed to retain existing customers

CIL stops mining at six big coal blocks

The lack of environment clearances for expansion projects of Coal India Ltd (CIL) has broaden the gap between the coal production target and actual output in the current fiscal. CIL has been forced to stop mining at several coal blocks

Coal Ministry to review 61 coal blocks allocated to 41 companies

The ministry of coal plans to review the progress on 61 coal blocks allocated to 41 companies including Tata Steel, Hindustan Zinc, Essar, Adani, Arcelor Mittal, GVK and JSPL. These companies are facing cancellation of licences due to delay in commencement of mining operations. The blocks would be reviewed on February 7 and 8.

Realising the mining potential

Streamlining the mining process

The year that went by - in fact, the last two years - put the country?s mining sector through one of its toughest tests. The Supreme Court ban on iron ore mining in Karnataka in 2011 and in Goa in 2012, alongside the Coalgate scams and environmental restrictions severely impacted this sector, and led to a considerable dent in the growth of the CE sector during this period.

Year End Review of Ministry of Coal

Coal sector witnessed a number of initiatives during 2013 to augment coal production and supply. Regular reviews of captive coal blocks were held by Inter-Ministrial Group to expedite their development, fuel supply agreements were signed with Power Sector and setting of Coal regulator approved. Under the bidding policy, seventeen coal blocks allotted to the Government Companies and thirty eight coal blocks brought under production.

Captive coal block target for FY2013-14 is 46.15 MT

Year end review report of the Ministry of coal indicates 46.15 million tonne (MT) as the production target for coal production for captive coal blocks for the year 2013-14. As of October, 2013, 38 captive coal blocks have come under production. The provisional figures for captive coal production during the FY2013-14 upto October 2013 Is 21.740 million tonne. Out of this, 13.645 million tonne pertains to private sector companies while 8.095 million tonne production is achieved by government compa

Coal Blocks offer for Government Companies/Corporations

As per the year end review report of the Ministry of coal, seventeen coal blocks, fourteen blocks for specified end-use i.e. Power and three blocks for Mining were allocated to various State Government Companies/Corporations/CPSUs under newly initiated bidding policy. The proposed agreement on coal mine production and development to be signed by the Government with the respective eligible Companies is under finalization.

CCI nod sought for expediting mine development

Approval of Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI)is being sought by the Ministry of Coal to expedite development of allocated mining blocks where no cases or FIRs have been filed by the CBI.

NTPC to start mining coal from J'khand

To produce power, government-owned NTPC is set to start mining from its captive Pakri Barwadih coal block in Jharkhand. The coal block could start production from this week. Captive mining is a first for the country?s biggest power generator, which depends on Coal India, another state-run company, for fuel and has been meeting the gap in its requirement through imports.

NTPC to have new mining unit for fuel security

To secure fuel supplies to run its thermal power plants, India?s single largest coal consumer and State-owned NTPC plans to create a separate coal mining division. NTPC, India's largest electricity generator, has been concerned about the quality of fuel supplies from Coal India (CIL).

NTPC to have new mining unit for fuel security

To secure fuel supplies to run its thermal power plants, India?s single largest coal consumer and State-owned NTPC plans to create a separate coal mining division. NTPC, India's largest electricity generator, has been concerned about the quality of fuel supplies from Coal India (CIL).

Private power firms violating coal block norms

Many private power companies in the country were violating the terms and conditions of coal block allocation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the jurisdiction of Supreme Court (SC) and the Union Power Ministry (MoP) have found in their probe. These companies had been allocated coal blocks as they had submitted that they planned to set up power plants and sell power to distribution companies (discoms).

Coal block auction policy cleared

The Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal has said on September 24 that the government has approved auctioning coal blocks for private steel, cement and power firms. For the first time, the policy will pave way for allotment of coal mines through competitive bidding. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the policy, he added.

CIL sanctions Rs 2,295 cr for its 4 new mining projects

Government-owned miner Coal India has sanctioned Rs 2,294.79 crore for its four new mining projects with an estimated capacity of 12.5 million tonne. During the 12th Plan period, CIL has plans to take up 126 projects with an estimated capacity of 438.04 million tonne.

Coal blocks auction either by Dec or Jan: Govt

According to media reports, the government on September 15 stated that the auction of explored coal blocks may take place either by December or the beginning of the next year, A permission letter from the Ministry of Environment & Forests would be given to the successful bidder, Union Coal Secretary SK Srivastava said in Delhi.

Coal blocks auction either by Dec or Jan: Govt

According to media reports, the government on September 15 stated that the auction of explored coal blocks may take place either by December or the beginning of the next year, A permission letter from the Ministry of Environment & Forests would be given to the successful bidder, Union Coal Secretary SK Srivastava said in Delhi.

Navigating through turbulent times

Overall slowdown in demand for new equipment, absence of new channels for the deployment of equipment compared to the overall availability, plummeting value of currency, lack of clarity on private coal blocks, highly depressed rental rates - all seems to have had its negative impact on the equipment finance segment.

CIL to develop 5 opencast coal projects via MDO route

Coal India (CIL) has identified five Opencast projects to be developed through Mine Developer and Operator (MDO)route. The aggregate estimated capacity of these projects is 22 million tonne per year (mty), said the Union Minister of State for Coal Pratik PrakashBapu Patil in Rajya Sabha on August 26.

Govt allocates mining leases via auction: Minister

The Union government notified the auction of mining leases on February 2 in 2012 under the amended provisions of Section 11 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (67 of 1957) (MMDR Act).

Coal banking under consideration of law ministry

The proposal of coal banking arrangement, which was mooted by the Association of Power Producers (APP), has been referred to the union law ministry for its opinion. According to APP, this could increase the domestic supply and thereby reduce imports. The law ministry would study the various legal issues involved with the idea of coal banking send its opini

Govt invites bids from PSUs for 5 lignite blocks

The Union government has called bids from public sector undertakings (PSUs) for 5 lignite blocks with an estimated 156 million tonne of reserves. The lignite blocks in Gujarat and Rajasthan will be awarded to State-run companies depending on various factors like location of the end use project and preparedness of the end use project, a government notice said.

Coal India awards drilling contract for Mozambique asset

An unknown company was reportedly awarded a contract for drilling a further 30,000 metre in the Mozambique mines belonging to Coal India (CIL). In order to assess reserves of its mines in Mozambique, the state-run miner wanted to drill the area further and for this purpose it invited bids from reputed companies in February

WBMDTCL asked to provide bank guarantee

In a letter to West Bengal Mineral Development & Trading Corporation, the union coal ministry asked the former to provide bank guarantee (BG) of Rs 1.3 crore for a coal block in West Bengal. In 2006, the coal ministry allotted the Ichhapur coal mine in the the Raniganj coalfields of West Bengal to the company for commercial use. The mine has geol

Haryana's HPGCL wants its own captive mine

The Haryana government is trying for its own captive coal block to meet the coal requirement of its power plants in the state. The State-owned Haryana Power Generation Corporation (HPGCL) has submitted multiple applications to the Union Coal Ministry for allotment of coal block in Chhattisgarh or Madhya Pradesh for the existing and future thermal plants in the state.

CCEA to decide on Coal Regulatory Authority Bill

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs would decide on clearing the draft coal regulatory authority bill in a month as the bill received the approval of the Group of Ministers (GoM). The GoM, in its latest meeting, cleared the formation of an independent coal regulatory authority to monitor the sector. The draft bill will bring state-owned monopoly miner Coal India, which accounts for 81 percent of Indian coal production, in the

Odisha govt seeks status of end-use plants

The mining department of Odisha government asked the developers of Rampia and Mandakini A coal blocks to submit status of the end-use power plants. The above two blocks are allotted to captive miners who are developing power plants. While Rampia coal block is allotted jointly to Sterlite Energy, GMR Energy, ArcellorMittal India, Lanco Group, Navbharat Power and Relia

Ministry for allotting abandoned CBM blocks

Union coal ministry is of the view that the relinquished coal bed methane (CBM) blocks in the country need to be allotted to coal miners as these assets hold substantial reserve of coal. Owing to inadequate gas reserves, several CBM blocks have been relinquished. But these have potential coal reserves, which can be mined and used for electricity generation, the coal ministry

Govt offered 17 blocks to PSUs

The government offered 17 coal blocks for allocation to government companies and identified six more explored coal blocks to allocate to private sector through competitive bidding. The government said this in its 'Report to the People' released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the fourth anniversary of UPA-II

Several of 17 coal blocks fall in dense forests

Media reports indicate that several of the 17 coal blocks, that the centre intends to allocate to state-run companies, are located in some of the dense forests in the country. According to a report by the NGO Greenpeace, these 17 blocks fall in 5,200 hectare of forests with more than half being high or moderately dense

House panel alleges irregularities in coal mines allocation

According to the observation of Parliament Standing Committee on Coal and Steel, the Indian government did not follow best practice in allocating coal mines in the past 20 years. The allocation in this period was illegal and amount to abuse of power as the government alloted it to a privileged few. It said the allocation of "huge national resources" did not gener

Govt mulls SPV for developing coal blocks under PPP

According to a blueprint prepared by the finance ministry, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) would be created for developing coal blocks in the country on public private participation (PPP) model. The government has identified 10 cluster blocks for development under PPP model and the SPV would be set up for each of these

Allocatees must follow check list of Odisha govt

The steel & mines department of Odisha government cleared a checklist, which has to be observed by the allocatees of coal blocks in the state. According to the checklist, the allocatees must furnish status of their end-use plants linked to coal blocks. Companies whose coal blocks are at an advanced stages having either been granted prospecting licenses (PL) or mining leases (ML). These companies must com

MP minister urges centre to set up regulator

Aggrieved by the insufficient supply of coal to power plants in the state, Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister Rajendra Shukla urged the central government to set up a national coal regulatory authority. According to the minister, the policies of the Coal India (CIL) were monopolistic to the extent that it even not bothered to convene a single meeting of the coal linkage committee in the past three

We cater to the entire value chain from procurement to deployment to disposal.

Our pan-India presence and in-depth knowledge of the Indian market make us a preferred player for any equipment manufacturer, (Indian or foreign, who is eyeing the ICE market in India. A proper risk management system, floating interest rate financing and customised offering have been major growth factors for us, says DK Vyas, CEO, Srei BNP Paribas. Excerpts from the interview.

Equipment Financing

The way forward is to intensify the dialogue process with the government authorities at various levels and make them realise that the faulty policies are costing India dear

Mining Equipment: Gmmco markets CAT mining trucks of 60 to 360 tonnes

With large/mega size mines coming into play in the last few years, high capacity trucks are increas?ingly being deployed in India, says S Ananthakrishnan, Senior General Manager, Machine Business Group, Gmmco.