KIOCL is planning to build a pelletization and beneficiation plant in Karnataka, India, jointly capable of producing 4mn mt of iron ore.
India’s steel minister, Faggan Singh Kulaste, said the plants will be constructed after obtaining statutory clearance for operating one block in the Davadari range iron mines also in the Ballari district. The new block will give KIOCL access to captive mines. Kulaste added that the project will also lead to development in the adjacent areas.
KIOCL has been instrumental in pioneering processes for iron-ore mining and beneficiation of magnetite ore. KIOCL’s managing director M.V. Subba Rao requested the Minister to assist in expediting clearances for the projects. To support environmental improvements, the Indian government is encouraging the utilization of pellets as a raw material in the sponge iron industry and in blast furnaces (BFs). KIOCL also plans to add 5MW in solar power at its Tumakuru facility
KIOCL has a total annual capacity of 3.5mn mt iron-oxide pellet plants and also operates a 216,000mt-per-year BF which produces pig iron.