New Delhi: Under the 13th round of commercial coal-mine auctions, Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has emerged as highest bidder for three fully explored coal blocks — two in Jharkhand (Pirpainti Barahat coal block and Dhulia North coal block) and one in Odisha (Mandakini‑B coal block), the Ministry of Coal said in a statement.
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Together, the three blocks carry geological reserves of about 3,306.58 million tonnes and a combined Peak Rated Capacity (PRC) of 49 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).
According to the ministry, two of the blocks — Pirpainti Barahat and Dhulia North — are in Jharkhand, while Mandakini-B is in Odisha. The largest among these blocks is Mandakini-B, which has geological reserves of 1,326.77 MT, followed by Dhulia North which has 1,181.25 MT and Pirpainti Barahat at 798.56 MT. DVC offered 5.50 percent revenue sharing for Pirpainti and Dhulia and 12.75 percent for Mandakini-B.
The auctioned blocks are projected to generate annual revenue of roughly Rs 4,620.69 crore, attract a capital investment of about Rs 7,350 crore, and create around 66,248 employment opportunities.
Since the launch of commercial coal mining in 2020, a total of 136 coal blocks have now been auctioned — offering a production capacity of 325.04 MTPA per annum. Once fully operational, all these blocks together are estimated to yield annual revenue of Rs 43,330 crore, mobilise Rs 48,756 crore in investments and generate about 4,39,447 jobs across coal-bearing regions, said the Coal Ministry.
Last week, DVC Chairman S Suresh Kumar said the company aims to meet its own coal demand through captive mines over the next three years — and winning these blocks aligns with that ambition.
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With this acquisition, DVC is positioned to secure long-term fuel supply for its power plants — potentially strengthening energy security and reducing coal-procurement dependency for the PSU.