NMDC eyes tailings export from Bailadila iron ore mine in Chhattisgarh

State-owned NMDC is looking to export tailings from Bailadila iron ore mine in Chhattisgarh in view of supportive pricing dynamics in global markets, a top official has said.

"NMDC is exploring the opportunity to export its tailings from Bailadila iron ore mines as current international prices of ore would make it feasible and profitable to do so," its chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) N Baijendra Kumar told PTI.

At the Singapore Iron Ore Week 2019 forum, many participants evinced keen interest in this regard and several trade enquiries were made, he said.

Bailadila is a complex comprising two large surface mines, Bacheli and Kirandul, and is approximately 374 kilometres from Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

The mine is owned and operated by the state-owned mining company NMDC.

The company is also in a process of laying a 15 million tonne per annum (MTPA) slurry pipeline from Bailadila iron ore Bacheli complex to Vizag port, an official said.

"The first phase (of the pipeline) is being executed from Bacheli to Nagarnar in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and the second phase will be executed from Nagarnar to Vizag port," the official said.

NMDC is the country's single largest iron ore producer, presently producing about 30 million tonne of iron ore from three fully mechanised mines.