CCEA gives in-principle approval for the coal price pooling mechanism

06 Feb 2013 Evaluate

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its in-principle approval for price pooling of coal by which prices of domestic and imported coal are averaged to get a uniform price for the fuel in the country.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said 'the in-principle decision has been taken and there are some data that have to be put into these principles. The structure of the decision has been put in place and the ministries of coal and power would come back with the specifics. Basic principles and parameters have been identified and the plotting of real numbers has to be done'.

The CCEA would again deliberate on the issue, while both the power and coal ministries have appreciated the urgencies and they would be coming back as quickly as possible.

The decision on price pooling has been pending for long time because of the conflict between the coal and power ministries on how the impact of higher imported coal prices will be shared between state miner Coal India (CIL) and power companies. Earlier, the power ministry after consultation with the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has suggested the Coal Ministry that the difference in cost of imported and domestic coal should be added to the cost of indigenous fuel at the time of finalising proposal for pooling coal prices.

However, coal India had said that price pooling was a mechanism to implement fuel supply agreement (FSA) and if price pooling is approved then 15 percent supply of imported coal ‘will be not in the cost plus method, but in pooling mechanism’. Coal India board had earlier approved the modified FSA without price-pooling with 65 percent domestic coal and 15 percent imported coal at cost plus basis. Till now, 48 companies have entered into fuel supply pacts with Coal India for receiving the fuel. According to the FSA, Coal India has to provide an assured supply of minimum 80 percent of the total quantity, if failing to which would be penalized.

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