The Ministry of Coal is likely to club all spot coal auctions for regulated and non-regulated sectors, aiming at a market-determined uniform price for every grade.
At present, separate auctions are held for different sectors and special auctions are held for the power sector, which is the only regulated sector. The proposal by the coal ministry aims to make the process more transparent as to which mine will allocate coal for which auction category. The ministry has circulated a note for inter-ministerial consultations, after which the union cabinet will be approached.