India’s largest state owned trading company MMTC Ltd is seeking bids for the supply of 1.3 million tonnes of coal to feed power plants run by NTPC Ltd and other government utilities.

A MMTC official said that the fuel, which will be supplied from Indonesia over six months starting November, will have a calorific or heating value of 6,300 kilocalories.

According to data from the nation’s coal ministry, India’s thermal coal imports rose to 44 million tonnes in the year ended March 2010 from 38 million tonnes a year earlier. The International Monetary Fund revised India’s 2010 economic growth forecast in July to 9.4% from its earlier prediction of 8.8% in April.

The official said that the coal will be used in power plants located in northern and central India.

MMTC has asked for 300,000 tonnes of coal for the Bhilai plant operated by a venture between NTPC, India’s largest power producer, and the Steel Authority of India Ltd, 360,000 tonnes for a venture between NTPC and the Haryana state utility in Jhajjar, 175,000 tonnes for the Haryana utility and 500,000 tonnes for the Uttar Pradesh state utility.

The official said that tender documents for the two NTPC facilities will be opened on September 23 and the rest on September 28.

(Sourced from Bloomberg)