Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has lined up an investment of Rs 4,000 crore for implementation of its various mining projects in Orissa. The steel PSU’s investment in these mining projects is a part of its Rs 54,000-crore mega expansion plan according to which the company has targeted a steel output of 26 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2010-11.
The expansion plan aims to enhance the capacity of SAIL’s steel plants as well as mines. The raw materials division of SAIL has projected to produce 30 mtpa of iron ore to meet the requirement of the steel plants in the eastern region.
The board of directors of SAIL had recently cleared an investment of Rs 255 crore for scaling up capacity of Bolani iron ore mines in Orissa’s Keonjhar district from the existing 4.2 million tonnes to 10 million tonnes.
The capacity expansion project of Bolani iron mines includes enhancement of plant capacity, modification of dumping platform for high capacity dumper, tailing management, state-of-the-art technology for GPS and CCTV-based mines monitoring system and procurement of higher capacity heavy earth moving machinery.
Plans are also afoot to set up a 4 million tonne pelletisation pant with improved iron ore beneficiation technology at Bolani for quality improvement and lower tailings. Earlier SAIL had begun work for enhancement of loading facilities at Bolani mines with an investment of Rs 120 crore.