IRON ORE MINING BY KIOCL
RAJYA SABHA
Kudremukh Iron Ore
Company Ltd. (KIOCL), a public sector undertaking of the Ministry
of Steel commenced commercial production in October, 1981. The
weathered ore reserves, where currently mining is carried out,
are estimated to last for another 5-6 years. The mineable primary
ore reserves are estimated to sustain an additional mine life
of about 15 years. In the present area of operations, geological
reserves of 1174 million tonnes of Primary Ore comprising inferred
reserves of 562 million tonnes and indicate reserves of 612 million
tonnes are established. The theoretical mine reserves are 247
million tonnes. Besides, there are other deposits in the vicinity
with probable reserves of 4000 million tonnes.
KIOCL was established
in April, 1976 in terms of an agreement between Government of
India and Government of Iran, to mine iron ore deposits in the
Kudremukh area of Western Ghats for the purpose of export or iron
ore concentrates to National Iranian Steel Industries Company,
Iran. The iron ore, mined from the deposits at Kudremukh has iron
content of 37-38 per cent, which is beneficiated to produce iron
ore concentrates of iron 67-68 per cent.
This information was
given by the Minister for Steel Shri B.K.Tripathy in a written
reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
