The government of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh will develop the Ari Dongri iron ore reserves for exclusive supplies to steel mill and sponge iron production units in the regions, a government official said on Monday, July 16.
The official said that the government through Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC) has already issued a notice inviting Mine Developer Operators (MDO) to submit proposals to develop the iron ore reserves and bring them to production.
The mine is expected to have an annual capacity of between 700,000 mt to 1.45 million mt and the mining lease extending over 166 hectares will be able to supply iron ore to a vast number of sponge iron units in Chhattisgarh and to steel mills located at Bhilai in the state, the official said.
He went on to say that the reserves expected to yield high grade iron ore lumps and fines will not only be able to meet local requirements but also will yield a surplus which will enable CMDC to enter the export market too.