The Ministry of Coal has dismissed the reports claiming that the 37 thousand 500 crore rupees Scheme for Promotion of Surface Coal and Lignite Gasification Projects has received no applications, calling such reports premature and factually incorrect.

The Ministry said the first-round application window remains open till September 7, and the number of applications can only be assessed after the deadline.

The Ministry added that, based on discussions with stakeholders, it has been informed that Talcher Fertilisers Limited and NTPC Limited have already submitted their applications through the online portal, asserting that the scheme has received “no takers”, factually incorrect.

The Ministry said that the scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet in May this year, aims to promote coal and lignite gasification for producing value-added products such as syngas, methanol, ammonia and urea, reducing dependence on imports and strengthening energy security.

It noted that multiple application rounds have been built into the scheme to allow more companies to participate. It added that Application rounds will operate on a rolling basis.

Upon closure of the application window for one round, the subsequent round will open from the very next day and remain open for a period of two months.

The Ministry highlighted that this ensures that companies that may require additional time to complete project preparation are not excluded merely because they are unable to participate in an earlier round.

The Ministry further said that the rolling-round mechanism has been deliberately incorporated in view of the substantial preparation and investment requirements associated with large-scale coal and lignite gasification projects.