Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL), has short-listed Brisbane-based MineOp Consulting Pty Ltd-led consortium for development and operation of a two million tonne underground medium-grade coking coal mine at Muraidih near Dhanbad in Jharkhand. If implemented, this will be the largest underground mine in CIL stable.
Lowest bidder
According to sources, the MineOp-led consortium has emerged as the lowest bidder for the project in a recently concluded tendering process. The project would require a capital investment of Rs. 307 crore to be borne by BCCL and revenue-cost (the projected cost at which CIL would buyback the produce of the mine) of Rs. 1,322 crore.
Apart from MineOp, the consortium includes Sweden based drilling technology major Sandvik and two Chinese companies having access to high capacity underground mine planning, design and technologies. The mine is expected to use both long-wall and continuous miner technologies.
UJW Muraidih consortium led by UK-based Joy Global Inc has emerged as the second lowest bidder for the project, followed by AMR-UGM consortium led by Hyderabad-based AMR Construction.
According to available information, initially four consortia submitted bids for the project. After technical evaluation, the race was restricted to three.
Opencast reserves
CIL sources said that previously BCCL had an opencast project at Muraidih. The opencast reserves were exhausted more than a decade back. The proposed underground mine would be located below the now abandoned opencast site.
Underground mines currently contribute 11-12 per cent of CIL’s total production with the largest of such projects producing a little over one million tonnes.
Meanwhile, CIL sources said that three companies were reportedly short-listed for submission of price bids for the proposed high capacity prime coking coal mine at Kapuria under BCCL. Preparation is under way to invite tenders for a high capacity underground project at Tilaboni under Eastern Coalfields Ltd.
Lowest bidder
According to sources, the MineOp-led consortium has emerged as the lowest bidder for the project in a recently concluded tendering process. The project would require a capital investment of Rs. 307 crore to be borne by BCCL and revenue-cost (the projected cost at which CIL would buyback the produce of the mine) of Rs. 1,322 crore.
Apart from MineOp, the consortium includes Sweden based drilling technology major Sandvik and two Chinese companies having access to high capacity underground mine planning, design and technologies. The mine is expected to use both long-wall and continuous miner technologies.
UJW Muraidih consortium led by UK-based Joy Global Inc has emerged as the second lowest bidder for the project, followed by AMR-UGM consortium led by Hyderabad-based AMR Construction.
According to available information, initially four consortia submitted bids for the project. After technical evaluation, the race was restricted to three.
Opencast reserves
CIL sources said that previously BCCL had an opencast project at Muraidih. The opencast reserves were exhausted more than a decade back. The proposed underground mine would be located below the now abandoned opencast site.
Underground mines currently contribute 11-12 per cent of CIL’s total production with the largest of such projects producing a little over one million tonnes.
Meanwhile, CIL sources said that three companies were reportedly short-listed for submission of price bids for the proposed high capacity prime coking coal mine at Kapuria under BCCL. Preparation is under way to invite tenders for a high capacity underground project at Tilaboni under Eastern Coalfields Ltd.
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