New Delhi: Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy on Wednesday launched the online portal for the registration of coal exchange, marking India's transition from a policy framework to operational readiness for a modern, market-based coal trading system. The portal was unveiled at the curtain raiser for India Mining Week 2026 in New Delhi, in the presence of Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey and Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt.
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The launch invites eligible applicants to formally apply for registration under the regulatory oversight of the designated Authority, a step the ministry described as a landmark in modernising the country's coal market.
A coal exchange is an online platform where buyers and sellers of coal and its processed forms can trade and enter into delivery-based contracts approved by the authority. It is designed to enable transparent, market-based price discovery, with assured quality through authority-approved sampling agencies, advanced market surveillance, a secured clearing and settlement process backed by a settlement fund, and a grievance redressal mechanism. The ministry called it a paradigm shift, moving the coal market away from traditional models towards a neutral, competitive trading platform.
The exchanges have been made possible by the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2025, which introduced the concept of mineral exchanges. In pursuance of that reform, the Ministry of Coal notified the Coal Exchange Rules, 2026, providing the regulatory framework for establishing and operating the exchanges.
The Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) has been designated the regulatory authority responsible for registering and overseeing coal exchanges. Eligible entities will be authorised to set up and run exchanges, frame market rules and facilitate trading with the Authority's prior approval. Registrations will remain valid for 25 years, which the Ministry said would ensure long-term institutional stability, strengthen ease of doing business and enhance transparency through market-based price discovery.
Within a month of the Coal Exchange Rules, 2026 being published, the CCO developed detailed guidelines for the application and registration process and built an online portal supported by a user manual. Accessible at coalcontroller.gov.in/coalexchange, the portal offers a fully digital, end-to-end interface: applicants can register, upload supporting documents, pay prescribed fees through the BharatKosh portal, submit applications and track their status in real time.
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The ministry positioned the launch as the first operational step toward a regulated, competitive and future-ready coal market aligned with the Viksit Bharat vision. A modern and efficient coal market, it said, would improve supply-chain resilience, attract greater private participation and support industrial growth as India pursues energy security and economic self-reliance.