Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), the flagship entity of the Steel Authority of India (SAIL), is planning to set up pellet plant based on fines of Dalli-Rajhara iron ore deposit in Durg district of Chhattisgarh.
The proposal is in the initial stage as the in-house agency of the SAIL has been asked to prepare the technical and feasibility report to set up pellet plant in Dalli-Rajhara (where the steel major has its captive mines), BSP Managing Director V K Arora told Business Standard.
The proposal of pelletisation plant is being pursued on priority, Arora said. It is among other steps and measures being contemplated to put the available large volumes of low grade fines generated prior to mechanisation of some mines at Dalli-Rajhara and slurry deposited in tailing ponds to good use, he added.
Pelletisation plants use fines or iron ore wastes to make pellets with higher ferrous content that can be used by steel makers.
Faced with the challenge of bridging the gap in the availability of required volumes of the most crucial raw material for steel making till the time its Rowghat mines in Kanker district in Chhattisgarh became operational, BSP and its Mines Organisation is taking all steps and measures to meet the requirements of volumes and quality of both lump ore and fines.
BSP recently received the environment and forestry clearance for the Rowghat mines that has an estimated iron-ore reserve of 500 million tonne, which would be sufficient to feed the plant for 30 years.
But it would take a few more years to start mining in Rowghat while the reserves in Dalli-Rajhara was fast depleting.
According to BSP's Executive Director (Mines) M K Bindu, the iron ore fines and the slurry were sent to the laboratory of National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) for testing. "We have received the report which is positive, and based on it, the technical and feasibility report is being prepared to give final shape to the proposal," he said.
