The Centre is optimistic of receiving a good response to the latest round of coal block auctions even as the Modi government has set a net zero carbon emission target by 2070 under COP26 protocol.

Union coal secretary Anil Kumar Jain said they were upbeat on the outcome of the 13th tranche of the auction, for which the last date of the sale of tender documents was Thursday.

“We are living in 2021 and 2070 is almost 50 years away. This gives a lot of comfort and I am already noticing it. The previous round of commercial coal block auctions did not elicit the kind of response the first round did,” Jain said at a Bengal Chamber of Commerce organised-event on Thursday.

“I am happy to say that the current round for which the application sale closes Thursday, we have already received two or more bids for 18 mines,” the coal secretary said.

A total of 88 coal mines have been selected in the present round, including six blocks from Bengal.

Of the 88, 40 are new mines and 48 are mines unsold in the earlier rounds. The total geological reserve is about 55 billion tonnes, of which 57 are fully explored and 31 partially explored.

Jain said that some of the mines are legacy mines that were rejected by the bidders. “In the future rounds when we add more explored mines, the response will be better,” he said.

He said the government is working on a road map to achieve net zero carbon emission. This will give a greater clarity on how the 2070 target will affect various sectors.