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A consortium of Steel Authority of India Ltd, Hindustan Copper Ltd, National Aluminium Co Ltd and Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd, will bid for Afghan gold and copper assets in four dispersed areas of the country.
The Chairman of HCL, Mr Shakeel Ahmed, confirmed to Business Line that the alliance of the four public sector enterprises would submit the expressions of interest in March for all the proposed gold and copper projects available for bidding.
The Afghan Ministry of Mines announced a request for expressions of interest on December 6, 2011 for four exploration licence areas — Badakhshan (four gold blocks of 250 square km each); Zarkashan (two copper-gold blocks of 242 sqkm each); Balkhab (two blocks of copper of 210 and 247 sqkm); and Shaida (one block of 250 sqkm).
Mr Ahmed said a memorandum of understanding between SAIL and HCL would precede submission of EoIs. There already was an arrangement among HCL, Nalco and MECL for collaborative efforts, he added.
According to the Afghan authorities, EoIs are to be submitted before March 9, which will be followed up by a non-disclosure agreement for gaining access to the technical data related to the assets, and submission of professional as also financial details by March 16 for entering the qualification stage.
Govt approval
According to sources, the Government, after success of the consortium approach in acquiring iron ore mining rights of Hajigak in Afghan province of Bamyan by Indian companies, has lent its support to the proposed move.
The proposed copper and gold mining project areas fall in four different Afghan provinces — north-eastern province Badakhshan, north-central Sar-I-Pul and Balkh, south-central Ghazni and eastern Heart.
There had been some attempts in studying and exploration in the proposed areas by Afghan, the US, German and Soviet agencies in the past. However, there are no clear estimates of the probable gold and copper deposits.
The Afghan Government assured the intending bidders that the Mines Protection Unit, which currently protects Chinese-owned Ayank Copper Mine project site, will also provide security in the proposed mine projects. Sources, however, admit that only rudimentary infrastructure was available at this stage in all the proposed gold and copper licence areas.
>jayanta_mallick@thehindu.co.in
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