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NMDC
has made valuable and substantial contribution to the National
efforts in the mineral sector during the last five decades and has
been accorded the status of schedule-A Public Sector Company. In
recognition to the Company's growing status and consistent
excellent performance, the Company has been categorized by the
Department of Public Enterprises as "NAVRATNA" Public
Sector Enterprise in 2008.
The
story of NMDC is woven around the dreamy hills and the deep jungle
land
of
Bastar
in Chhattisgarh, known as Dandakaranya from the epic periods. The
Bailadila iron ore range - "The hump of an ox" - in the
local dialect, was remote, inaccessible and replete with wild
life. The range contains 1200 million tonnes of high grade iron
ore distributed in 14 deposits. The entire area was brought to the
mainstream of civilization by the spectacular effort of NMDC by
opening-up of mines. Today, Bailadila is a name to reckon with in
the world iron ore market because of its super high grade iron
ore. Bailadila complex possesses the world's best grade of hard
lumpy ore having +66% iron content, with negligible deleterious
material and the best physical and metallurgical properties needed
for steel making.
In
the past, NMDC had developed many mines like Kiriburu, Meghataburu
iron ore mines in
Bihar
, Khetri Copper deposit in Rajasthan, Kudremukh Iron Ore Mine in
Karnataka, Phosphate deposit in Mussorie, some of which were later
handed over to other companies in public sector and others became
independent companies.
NMDC
is presently producing about 22 million tonnes of iron ore from
its Bailadila sector mines and 7 million tonnes from Donimalai
sector mines.
Because
of its excellent chemical and metallurgical properties, the
calibrated ore from Bailadila deposits has substituted the iron
ore pellets in sponge iron making and hence became an important
raw material for three major gas-based sponge iron steel producers
like Essar Steel, Ispat industries and Vikram Ispat. In addition
to these three, the entire requirement of the Visakhapatnam Steel
Plant is also being met from Bailadila.
The
demand for steel will continue to grow in the years to come and
this in turn would call for increased demand for iron ore. NMDC is
gearing itself to meet the expected increase in demand by
enhancing production capabilities of existing mines and opening up
new mines - Deposit -11B in Bailadila sector and Kumaraswamy in
Donimalai sector. The production capability would increase to
around 50 million tonnes per year by 2014-15.
Besides, NMDC is also in the process of securing mining
leases of following iron ore mines (some as JV with State
Governments):
Sasangada
Iron Ore Deposit, Jharkhand
Ghatkuri Mine, Jharkhand
Ramandurg, Karnataka
Deposit – 13, Bailadila, Chhattisgarh
Deposit-4, Bailadila, Chhattisgarh
Apart
from iron ore NMDC is developing Magnesite mine in
Jammu
and Arki Lime Stone Project in Himachal Pradesh.
For
Value addition NMDC is in the process of developing a 3 mtpa steel
plant at Jagdalpur and 2 pellet plants at Donimalai (1.2 mtpa) and
at Bacheli (2 mtpa). Besides, NMDC is also in the process of
merger of Sponge Iron India Limited with plan for expansion to
produce billets.
Besides
iron ore, NMDC also plans to go for other minerals like Coal,
Diamond, gold etc for which NMDC is looking forward for leases /
buy properties from foreign countries directly / under Special
Purpose Vehicle / Joint Ventures.
For
continuing the exploration activities NMDC has set a Global
Exploration Centre at
Raipur
, Chhattisgarh.
NMDC
is taking up diversification activities through its intensive
R&D efforts for production of High-Tech and High Value added
products from Blue Dust like Carbon free sponge iron powder, Nano
crystalline powder. Besides, study is also being conducted for
setting up a demonstration plant to beneficiate BHJ/BHQ material
for upgradation to +64% Fe iron ore concentrate.
NMDC
is also investing in development of renewable energy resources as
an environment friendly investment. A Wind
mill project (10.5MW capacity) has been completed &
commissioned at Karnataka.
NMDC
has always shown great concern for environment protection. At all
its projects care is taken in this regard by tree plantation,
making tailing dams/check dams at different places.
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