Indian Energy Exchange’s (IEX) newest arm, the Indian Coal Exchange (ICE), incorporated on June 1 with an authorised share capital of ₹100 crore, has now filed a licence application with the Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) to set up a physical delivery‑based coal trading exchange in India.
ICE’s bid follows the government’s 2026 Coal Exchange Rules, which grant the CCO the authority to register and regulate coal exchanges. The rules aim to bring greater transparency, competition, and market‑based price discovery to the country’s coal sector.
By launching a technology‑enabled, neutral platform, ICE intends to bring buyers and sellers together at designated delivery points, streamlining transactions and expanding market access for smaller traders who have struggled to find reliable price benchmarks. This move would complement IEX’s existing electricity and natural gas platforms, widening the group’s footprint across the energy value chain.
The CCO is expected to review ICE’s application within the next 90 days, after which the exchange could commence operations early in 2027. Stakeholders in the coal market, from producers to logistics firms, are watching closely, as a regulated exchange promises to curb opaque pricing and reduce middle‑man costs. The next development will be the CCO’s decision, which will determine whether ICE can begin trading and potentially reshape India’s coal trading landscape.