Tata wants a stake in Barapukuria mine

A delegation of the Indian industrial giant yesterday expressed the desire at a meeting with Energy Advisor Mahmudur Rahman at the Board of Investment (BoI) office.

Mahmudur Rahman, who is also the BoI executive chairman, told the Tata delegation that he would convey their proposal to the highest policy-making authority of the government.

The Tata delegation, led by Alan Rosling, executive director of Tata Sons, made a presentation on the group's proposed investment in the country's coal mining, particularly in Barapukuria.

In the presentation, Barapukuria coal mine and its adjacent area was divided into seven blocks. Of these, Tata is interested to extract coal from four blocks using the open-cut mining technology.

But of the proposed four blocks, only one block has been developed where the Chinese operator, CMEC, was appointed to extract coal under an agreement with the government.

After expiry of the agreement with the CMEC in 2011, Tata wants to take over the operation of this particular part of the mine along with the other three blocks.

The Indian industrial conglomerate also claimed that the open-cut mining technology is the most modern method in coal mining through which 90 percent extraction of coal is possible.

Meanwhile, another delegation of Tata Group separately met State Minister for Power Iqbal Hassan Mahmood at his Secretariat office.

During the meeting, the Indian business group expressed its interest to sell 200 MW electricity to the government from its proposed 1000 MW power plant.