Kolkata, December 10: mjunction services limited, India’s largest B2B e-commerce company, is organising its flagship annual event, the 14th Indian Coal Markets Conference, on December 17 and 18. For the first time, the conference is being held on a virtual platform to ensure Covid-19 related safety measures.
The theme of the conference is “Indian Coal: Reignited…!”
The conference is happening in the backdrop of some game-changing developments in the energy sector, primarily the historic commercial coal mine auction that opens up the coal sector to increased competition.
The month of November saw the successful launch of country’s maiden auction of coal mines for commercial usage that marked its transition to a liberalised coal sector that promises access to fuel on demand at competitive prices without bureaucratic hassles.
With the removal of end-use criteria and significant net worth requirement, 65 percent of bidders have no experience of owning or managing or operating coal mines coming from sectors like real estate, infrastructure and pharma.
The conference will explore how these non-traditional players will contribute to the development of the coal mining sector.
mjunction MD & CEO, Mr Vinaya Varma said, “The much anticipated maiden auction of blocks for commercial mining has taken place allowing sale of coal in open market. The event marks the opening up of the controlled sector and will radically transform the way coal is mined, traded and consumed. In this context, the 14th Indian Coal Markets Conference will provide a platform for the policymakers, industry and other stakeholders to take forward the present and upcoming issues of the coal industry and the economy as a whole.”
The inaugural session will look at the big picture and try to find answers such as how Indian coal will thrive under the new competitive regime, the key takeaways from auctions and the road ahead for global coal.
The session will be addressed by Mr Vinay Prakash, CEO, Adani Enterprises, Mr V R Sharma, Managing Director, JSPL and Mr M Nagaraju, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Coal.
Mr Pralhad Joshi, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines, has been invited to address the session.
The opening up of the market to commercial mining will bring in price discovery services, and Mr P S Reddy, MD & CEO, Multi Commodity Exchange, will shed light on the role and dynamics of a coal exchange in India.
Martin Abbott, CEO, of globalCOAL, world’s largest trading platform for the fuel, will share his views on global best practices and features of online coal commerce.
Some of the other eminent speakers at the event will be S N Tiwary, Director (Marketing), Coal India, N Srinivas, Director (OP&BD), Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp, S K Mehta, Chairman, Deendayal Port Trust, S K Sadangi, Chief Vigilance Officer, Coal India, M C Thomas, MD, Tata Steel Mining, Himanshu Singh, Director Coal – Group Commercial, Vedanta, Sanjay Kumar, Strategic sourcing director, LafargeHolcim, Anil K Razdan, former Secretary, Ministry of Power, Bill Sullivan, Senior Foreign Counsel, Christian Teo & Partners, Rahul Mittal, Chairman, Sponge Iron Manufacturers’ Association, Mukul Modi, Executive VP, SBI Caps, K C Muraleedharan, GM (Fuel Management), NTPC Ltd, Nitin Ambhaikar, MD, Exotron Thermal among others.
There will also be eminent speakers from South Africa and Indonesia to share perspectives on international coal trade.
The two-day conference will cover the following topics:
• How will competition change the supply scenario?
• Will commercial mining have an impact on captive output?
• Will the new coal blocks face financing hurdles?
• How will competition change the supply scenario?
• Will commercial mining have an impact on captive output?
• Will the new coal blocks face financing hurdles?
• Will import substitution defeat comparative advantage theory?
• What signals is India sending to the global coal market?
• What is the best way to market commercial coal?
• Coal exchange: Need of the hour
