Indian government-run miner NMDC Limited has commissioned a 2 million mt per year capacity pellet plant as part of its $566 million integrated iron ore processing project at Nagarnar in Chhattisgarh state, a company statement said on Monday, September 28.
The integrated project includes an iron ore processing unit at its Bacheli plant, a 15 million mt per year capacity slurry pipeline connecting the Bacheli processing units to the Nagarnar pellet plant.
NMDC Limited through its subsidiary, NMDC Steel Limited, operates an integrated 3 million mt per year capacity steel mill, also located at Nagarnar.
The 135 km slurry pipeline carries processed iron ore concentrate from Bacheli to Nagarnar, providing an alternative to transporting the material by road, the company said.
The facilities will enable NMDC Limited to process iron ore fines and slimes from its Bailadila mines into concentrate and subsequently convert the concentrate into pellets. The pellet plant uses straight grate induration technology to produce pellets for use in steelmaking.
The commissioning strengthens NMDC's presence across the iron ore value chain, from mining and beneficiation to slurry transportation and pellet production. It also adds a new value-added product to the company's portfolio and allows it to make greater use of iron ore fines and slimes generated from its Bailadila operations.
The project is part of NMDC's broader expansion and diversification strategy as the company works towards increasing its iron ore production capacity to 100 million mt, the company said in the statement.
