What changes when an iron ore miner connects processing, pipeline transport and pellet production in one integrated system? For NMDC Ltd, the answer is now taking shape in Chhattisgarh.
The company has commissioned a ₹5,427 crore integrated project linking its Bacheli iron ore operations with Nagarnar. The development includes an iron ore processing plant at Bacheli, a 15 MTPA slurry pipeline and a 2 MTPA pellet plant at Nagarnar in Bastar.
For industry observers and stakeholders, the project is significant because it adds processing and pellet-making capacity alongside NMDC’s existing mining operations. It also gives the company another way to move processed iron ore concentrate, using a 135 km slurry pipeline rather than relying only on road transport.
So what exactly has been commissioned? NMDC’s newly operational pellet plant at Nagarnar has a capacity of 2 million tonnes per annum. It uses Straight Grate Induration technology to produce pellets used in steelmaking.
The upstream part of the project is located at Bacheli, where the iron ore processing plant is designed to handle material from NMDC’s Bailadila mines. The facilities will allow the company to process iron ore fines and slimes into concentrate before converting that concentrate into pellets.
The maiden production was observed live from NMDC’s headquarters by Chairman and Managing Director Amitava Mukherjee and the company’s senior leadership. They monitored the event remotely because adverse weather conditions prevented travel to the site.
Today is a day of immense pride for everyone at NMDC. This has not been an easy project to execute. It involved the processing facilities, the actual slurry pipeline and the pellet plant. But today is a red-letter day—a day we have been waiting for a long time. This is the day when our collective dream is coming true,” Amitava Mukherjee, Chairman and Managing Director, NMDC Ltd., said.
For shareholders and market participants, the commissioning may be relevant because it broadens NMDC’s presence across the iron ore value chain. The company now has added capability in beneficiation, slurry transportation and pellet production, alongside mining.
