India & #8217;S Longest Slurry Pipeline Works To Take Off

Hy-grade Pellets Limited (HGPL), a joint venture corporation of Essar group and Stemcor, a steel trading group based in UK, is all set to start the construction of India's longest slurry pipeline this month.

HGPL has planned to transport iron ore fines in slurry form from Bailadilla mines to Visakhapatnam through this proposed pipeline.

HGPL owns and operates 33 lakh tonnes per annum capacity iron ore pellet plant at Visakhapatnam.

This plant exported around Rs 301 crores worth of pellets during the last three years. To reduce transport expenditure and production cost, HGPL has proposed this pipeline.

The 267-km-long pipeline with 80 lakh tonne transporting capacity will transport iron ore in slurry form from Bailadilla mines in Chattisgarh state to Visakhapatnam, replacing the present rail movement.

The company hopes to save transportation costs to the tune of Rs 300 per tonne on completion of the project, K V Rao, the managing director of HGPL told Business Standard.

On completion of this project, HGPL will emerge as one of the world's lowest cost producers of high quality iron ore pellets, he said.

Recently a contract for construction of slurry pipeline was signed between the HGPL and OAO Stroytransgaz's consortium with Essar constructions.

Stroytransgaz is one of the biggest Russian construction corporations and world's major pipeline specialist companies.

The project cost is estimated Rs 300 crores. In 18 months, the pipeline laying work will be completed, Rao said.

The 267-km slurry pipeline will travel through Chattisgarh, Orissa and AP states and it will cross about 62 km of forest area, five major rivers, three major railway crossings and four major national highway crossings.

HGPL is also will take up a beneficiation plant at the mine head at Bailadilla alongside the pipeline project.