New Delhi: Union Steel Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia on Friday inaugurated a Rs 149-crore beneficiation project of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) at Kanker in Chhattisgarh. The minister virtually inaugurated the SAIL's Silica Reduction Plant set up at the company's Dalli iron ore mines.
In his address, Scindia said that the new plant is an important milestone as it will help the steelmaker utilise the low-grade ore from the Dalli mines through the beneficiation process. Around 80 percent of the reserves of the iron ore mine has been utilised, he said adding certain issues were coming in the utilisation of the remaining 20 percent reserve like the Fe or iron content was below 60 percent and silica content was as high as 10 percent. The plant will improve the Fe content to 62-64 percent and bring down the silica content to 2-3 percent.
SAIL's Chairman Amarendu Prakash said that there was a need to refine iron ore of size less than 1 mm to achieve the desired grade for effective usage in the blast furnace at the company's Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP). The plant has been set up with an investment of around Rs 149 crore and is equipped with state-of-the-art beneficiation equipment. It will enhance the iron ore supply to BSP thereby increasing annual production from the blast furnaces, reducing coke consumption and carbon emission, he said.
The company plans to set up more such projects to utilise low-grade ores, he said.
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