With ‘aggressive’ thermal power policy in place, CM urges Centre for seamless coal supply
Union Minister Reddy reportedly assured the CM of full support, promising an early review of Assam’s coal needs
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma with Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy (Photo: @himantabiswa / X)
Guwahati, May 28: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy, in the national capital to press for urgent measures to bolster coal mining and mineral extraction in the state.
The meeting, held at the Union Minister’s office in Shastri Bhawan on Tuesday, focused on building robust coal linkages for Assam’s upcoming thermal power plants and enhancing mineral-based infrastructure to support the state’s energy ambitions.
"Had a good meeting on securing Assam’s coal and mineral requirements with Hon’ble Union Minister Shri Kishan Reddy. We had an in-depth discussion on building seamless coal linkages to the upcoming thermal power plants in the state, expanding operations at the Margherita coal mines, and extraction of new minerals," CM Sarma posted on a micro-blogging site following the discussion.
Union Minister Reddy reportedly assured the Chief Minister of full support, stating that Assam’s coal and mineral requirements will be reviewed at the earliest.
“We explored avenues to enhance mineral production, extraction of new minerals, seamless coal linkages with upcoming thermal power plants, and development of energy projects in Assam,” he said in a post.
The meeting comes days after the Assam Cabinet approved the Thermal Power Generation Product Promotion Policy 2025—an aggressive move aimed at attracting large-scale investments in the energy sector.
In line with this policy, the Chief Minister recently conducted site reviews in Goalpara and Dhubri, where the government is exploring the possibility of setting up two new thermal power plants, one of which would be by the Adani group.
Confirming that these plants will be coal-powered, Sarma earlier said that talks are ongoing with the Centre to access coal reserves in Jharkhand and West Bengal.
“The operational model will follow that of NTPC’s thermal plant in Salakati, Bongaigaon, as Assam’s own reserves, such as those in Margherita, are not sufficient to meet the growing demand,” he said.
In the meeting with Union Minister Reddy, Sarma also urged the Centre to permit the expansion of coal mining operations at the Margherita coalfields to increase the state’s coal revenue and support future power generation.