National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (NMDC) has decided to scale up its production of iron ore gradually and aims to double output by 2018-19.
Narendra Kothari, CMD of NMDC, said the miner has set a production target of 31 million tonnes (mt) of iron ore and sales of 32 mt in 2014-15. In 2013-14, it produced 30 mt of iron ore.
“By 2018-19 we expect to reach a target of 60 mt and by 2024-25 NMDC targets to touch 100 mt of iron ore,” he added.
These are revised production targets for NMDC. Earlier, the public sector miner had set an output target of 50 mt by 2014-15.
New mining areas It plans to enhance production capabilities at its mines and also open up new mines such as Deposit-11B in the Bailadila sector of Chhattisgarh and Kumaraswamy in Donimalai sector of Karnataka.
Kothari said NMDC was preparing action plans for its Jharkhand assets. Through a joint venture with the Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation, NMDC is pursuing the projects at Sasangada and Ghatkuri in West Singhbhum Distict of Jharkhand. A meeting of prospective equipment suppliers has been organised in January, he added.
He said NMDC’s three-million-tonne-a-year proposed steel plant at Jagdalpur should be ready by December 2015.
Kothari said NMDC was targeting exploration of potash in Russia. The CMD also said the Government has allowed the national miner to undertake joint exploration in the unexplored areas of the country.