Tata group might be acquiring the assets of Australia's New Hope Corp, which has offered its stake for sale last month, according to a source.

The Indian group could file a bid during the next month. Tata group firms Tata Power and Tata Steel have been looking to acquire coal assets in recent years in order to meet their raw material requirements.

According to the sources, the discussions are still at a very preliminary stage. Tata Power did not comment on the possibility for a bid for the assets of New Hope Corp but only said that it is continuously evaluating "various opportunities to acquire resources including coal mines globally."

A Tata Steel spokesperson said the company is evaluating various options for raw material assets in various countries around the world. New Hope is looking to break-up and sell its assets and various global resource companies have expressed interest in the assets.

India's Aditya Birla Group is also considering bidding for the coal miner. Other than that, India's JSW Steel , China's Yanzhou Coal Mining Co and London-listed Xstrata are also looking to acquire assets. India already has 10 percent of the world's coal reserves but its companes are looking abroad for keeping their supplies on time. The quality f coal found in India is also found to be of low quality and is less efficient than coal from abroad.