The Ministry of Coal launched the 16th round of commercial coal mine auctions in New Delhi, offering 25 blocks across nine states, while also handing over development agreements for six mines auctioned earlier.

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• The Ministry of Coal launched the 16th Round of Commercial Coal Mine Auctions in New Delhi on 17 September 2026, offering 25 coal blocks.
• Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey attended as chief guest, and Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt jointly handed over the agreements.
• The 25 blocks on offer include 21 fully explored and four partially explored mines, spread across nine coal-bearing states.
• The states covered are Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal.
• Of the 25 blocks, six are being offered under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act and 19 under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.
• Alongside the new round, Coal Mine Development and Production Agreements were executed for six mines auctioned in earlier rounds: Tara (Revised), Margo West, Margo East, Mandla South, Dongeri Tal-II and Dip Side of PKoC.
• Successful bidders for these six mines include CG Syn-Gas and Chemicals, Jharkhand Exploration and Mining Corporation, Qube Commercial, Gallant Ispat and The Singareni Collieries.
• The six mines together hold geological reserves of about 1,504 million tonnes and a combined Peak Rated Capacity of 11.62 million tonnes per annum.
• Once operational, the six mines are expected to generate annual revenue of around ₹1,984 crore and attract capital investment of nearly ₹1,743 crore.
• The mines are projected to create approximately 15,700 employment opportunities in their respective coal-bearing regions.
• With this round, 147 coal mines have been auctioned since commercial coal mining was opened to the private sector in 2020, under a framework allowing no end-use restrictions and 100 percent FDI through the automatic route.