Vedanta says it needs 1 mln T coal in 2011

(Reuters) - Vedanta Aluminium needs to import around one million tonnes of thermal coal in 2011 for its new independent power plant in Orissa, an official responsible for coal buying said on Tuesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Coaltrans conference in New Delhi, the official said that Vedanta's new 2,400 MW power plant, which supplies power to its aluminium plant, is designed to take a blend of imported and domestic coal.

"We've covered our needs for February to April but we are looking for coal cargoes for the rest of the year," the official said.

"We can't use much South African coal because our boilers are designed for low-grade domestic coal and without very careful blending, it can cause problems," he said.

"Low calorific value Indonesian coal is ideal for us. We are looking at spot purchases and long-term offtake agreements."

Vedanta is also exploring the possibility of buying into coal mines abroad to secure coal supply of imported material, he said.

"We've looked at various countries including Indonesia, Mozambique and Mongolia," he said.

(Reporting by Jackie Cowhig)

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