CIL to seek revised MDO contract interest next week

A Khasi woman in a coal depot in Khliehriat town in Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya. File photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Coal India is to come out with a revised tender next week for request for qualification (RFQ) for mine development in seven projects.

“Based on discussions with participants we have modified and refined the terms of RFQ for inviting Mine Developer and Operator (MDO). We will release the tender next week,” Coal India chairman S. Narsing Rao said in Kolkata on Saturday.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a seminar organised by The Mining, Geological and Metallurgical Institute.

“There will be seven projects (two underground and five open cast mines) in the revised MDO tender with total peak production capacity of 17.5 million tonne per annum,” he said.

Mr. Rao said among the terms which were changed were relaxation on qualification for greater participation. He said CIL was aiming to offer the MDO contract by March 2014.

In April, government had said two Australian companies had shown interest in developing Coal India’s opencast mines and four British and Chinese companies in the PSU’s four underground mines.