India’s sixth auction round revives the demand for commercial coal blocks

India launched the sixth round of commercial coal blocks auction in November 2022, which concluded on 9 March 2023. The auction process also offered blocks under the second attempt of the fifth round. The government offered 141 coal blocks under the auction, of which 29 were successfully allocated. The allocated blocks’ total geological resources stand at about 8.2 Bt. Of the 29 blocks, 18 are fully explored blocks with a peak rated capacity (PRC) of about 75 Mt. In this insight, we explore the following: • How successful was the auction round compared to the previous rounds? • Which consumer segment drove the success of the round? • Reform measures to make the round more appealing. • Significance of the round to boost India’s coking coal output • The anticipated role of commercial coal mining in meeting India’s coal demand.