The Power and Energy Ministry has taken steps to begin the construction of the second and third coal fired power plants in Sampur and Velvuur in Trincomalee in June, a ministry official said.

Awaits government nod for plan to develop mines in a strategic partnership with North American Coal Corporation.

Coal miners are still working in the German town of Bottrop, but the government has decided to end mining in the country by 2018 because German coal is the most expensive in the world.

An inter-ministerial group (IMG) has cleared the $8-billion (Rs 32,000 crore) CTL project of the Tata group and its partner Sasol of South Africa, the world's largest producer of oil from coal.

India's first coal-to-liquid (CTL) project rolls off.

South Asia being an energy-deficit region, there is a strong case for developing regional cooperation in this sector. This may take different forms. India has surplus petroleum refining capacity while other countries in the region are importers of petroleum products. The real benefits will accrue from cooperation in power generation.

Amid a challenging economic outlook

Proper energy planning is essential for achieving energy security. Every country has to formulate its own policy to optimize the use of different energy sources for meeting the demands of its household, agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors. This necessitates an integrated and updated database of the production and consumption of different energy sources viz., coal, crude, petroleum, natural gas and electricity (hydro and nuclear). The present issue, "Energy Statistics 2007', is the 15th issue in the series.

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