Reports indicate that Indian coal blocks allotted to companies including Dalmia Cement and Birla Corp have been de-allocated for failure to develop the mines in a timely manner.
In a letter from the Ministry of Coal it is stated that no liabilities or expenses will be borne by the government, but shall be the responsibility of the allocate.
Among the de-allocated coal blocks are the Khappa & Extn block, the Majra block and the Warora coal block, all in Maharashtra. Notices were issued last year asking the companies to explain the delay in the development of the blocks they had been allotted.
Having increased national grid energy tariffs last year, reports indicate that gas-fed captive power plants will be next to see a tariff hike, pushing up cement prices.
The CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2013 saw Indian cement producers, including Dalmia Bharat, ACC, Shree Cement, Ultratech and Amubja Cement, rewarded for their sustainability and environmental efforts.
T. Abbas, Cinar Ltd, UK, examines the future of natural gas and its potential within the cement industry in this article, serialized in three parts, which first appeared in the November 2013 issue of World Cement.