Coal India is deluding investors

Oct 1, 2013

The biggest coal miner in the world, Coal India Ltd., has rigged the market with false information to increase its value. According to a study published by Greenpeace, investors needed to spend more money per share than fair market value suggested.

The up-to-date Greenpeace study ‘Coal India – running on empty’ concludes that the extractable coal reserves are almost 20 % below the estimates communicated by Coal India before. Coal India’s reserves could be exhausted within 17 years.

The Greenpeace numbers are based on Coal India’s own research facility Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited. Prior to the 2010 IPO of Coal India the extractable coal reserves were in fact 3,5 billion tonnes lower than communicated. The fair market value of Coal India was therefore US $ 4,2 billion lower than estimated.

Because Coal India has deluded investors Greenpeace has filed charges. The behaviour of Coal India is not only relevant for current shareholders, but sends also a clear signal to future investors.

This October, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Credit Suisse are helping Coal India to organise an increase of capital worth US $ 1 billion.

Coal India is not only financially a dangerous company. Coal India is also a threat to the people and animals in India. The construction of new coal mines will go along with the deforestation of 1 million hectares of rainforest and the coal mines will be constructed right next to tiger habitats.

Rainforest Rescue supports the environmentalists and the people in India with our protest action Tigers threatened by Deutsche Bank. Already 62,000 people have signed our letter of protest so far. We urge Deutsche Bank to take their corporate social responsibility seriously and ask them to cut ties with Coal India immediately.