The Indian government has approved the diversion of forest land to allow Indian miner NMDC limited to expand iron ore mining capacity at its Bailadila Deposit-II mine in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, a government official said on Thursday, January 8.
Production capacity will rise to 14.5 million tonnes in year
Under the approval, approximately 875 hectares of forest land at Bailadila will be repurposed, allowing NMDC to increase the mine's annual iron ore mining capacity to 14.50 million tonnes from the current 11.30 million tonnes.
Bailadila is a forested mountainous region known for its significant reserves of high-quality iron ore and characteristic peaks in the shape of bull humps. Mining Block II contains 558.84 million tonnes of in-place hematite reserves, of which 351.32 million tonnes are classified as recoverable reserves.
The expansion is expected to support NMDC's long-term production goals and strengthen domestic iron ore supply for the Indian steel sector.
