Hindustan Copper has decided to reopen and start operations at its Kendadih copper mine at Singhbhum in Jharkhand, a director of the company said today. The Kendadih mine, spread over 1,140 ha, has remained closed for over two decades after the copper ore at the upper layer deposits dried up.
“The Kendadih mine had operated for some years as a small and shallow mine, and is capable of reaching an output level of 270,000 tonnes of ore a year, or 900 tonnes per day, as assessed by Roberston Research Associates of Australia,” a company official said.
The ore reserve at Kendadih has been assessed at 17.83 million tonnes.
The move to reopen Kendadih follows a recent decision of Hindustan Copper to go in for a major revamp of its “under performing” Khetri smelter and refinery plant at Khetrinagar in Rajasthan.
“The decision to go in for reopening of Kendadih mines is part of HCL’s strategy to revamp potential mines earlier closed during low realisation period,” the official said.
HCL operates in three of the richest copper belts in the country—Malanjkhand in Madhya Pradesh, Singhbhum in Jharkhand, and Khetri and Arawalli in Rajasthan.