Lloyds receives expert panel nod to expand iron ore mining in Gadchiroli

Time of India

2 days ago

Nagpur: The experts appraisal committee (EAC) under the environment and forests ministry has given a green signal to Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL) application seeking an environmental clearance (EC) to extract up to 26 million tones per annum (MTPA) of iron ore from its mine at Surjagarh hills in Gadchiroli district.
This approval allows LMEL, which currently has the only operational mine in Gadchiroli, to more than double its output. The EC will remains valid for a period of 30 years, according to the recommendation.
Currently, LMEL has an EC to mine up to 10 MTPA of iron ore. The EAC recommendation also clears the way for the extraction of 45 million tonnes of banded hematite quartz (BHQ) from the iron ore block.
While iron ore is found on the upper reaches of the mines, BHQ is extracted from the lower depths of the mine.
This is later crushed to extract hematite. The company hopes to derive as much as 15 million tonnes of hematite after the crushing process, said sources.
A recommendation by the EAC, which comes under the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MOEFCC), is the final step towards granting EC. A formal document is expected to be issued soon, said a source involved in the process. The EAC has also listed a number of conditions along with the recommendation to grant EC.
The committee has proposed that there will be no transportation of BHQ by road. The company is already building a pipeline to transport it in slurry form. The company will have to follow up on the status of the wildlife implementation plan from the forest officials and submit it to the ministry's regional office in Nagpur. LMEL will also have to deploy equipment like camera traps to record the presence of wild animals and their movement in the area and take steps to control man-animal conflicts, says the EAC.
The EAC has also recommended that the company should use at least 20% of vehicles that run on alternative energy like electric, solar, or CNG in the site area. The company has also been asked by the EAC to complete the public hearing commitments for the project within three years to address the people's concerns over the project. It will have to comply with all the action plans made to address the concerns and also record the outcomes.
LMEL, which has mines at Surjagarh, is building an integrated steel complex at Konsari, over 100km away. The ore mined from Surjagarh would largely feed the steel complex at Konsari.
Nagpur: The experts appraisal committee (EAC) under the environment and forests ministry has given a green signal to Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL) application seeking an environmental clearance (EC) to extract up to 26 million tones per annum (MTPA) of iron ore from its mine at Surjagarh hills in Gadchiroli district.
This approval allows LMEL, which currently has the only operational mine in Gadchiroli, to more than double its output. The EC will remains valid for a period of 30 years, according to the recommendation.
Currently, LMEL has an EC to mine up to 10 MTPA of iron ore. The EAC recommendation also clears the way for the extraction of 45 million tonnes of banded hematite quartz (BHQ) from the iron ore block.
While iron ore is found on the upper reaches of the mines, BHQ is extracted from the lower depths of the mine.
This is later crushed to extract hematite. The company hopes to derive as much as 15 million tonnes of hematite after the crushing process, said sources.
A recommendation by the EAC, which comes under the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MOEFCC), is the final step towards granting EC. A formal document is expected to be issued soon, said a source involved in the process. The EAC has also listed a number of conditions along with the recommendation to grant EC.
The committee has proposed that there will be no transportation of BHQ by road. The company is already building a pipeline to transport it in slurry form. The company will have to follow up on the status of the wildlife implementation plan from the forest officials and submit it to the ministry's regional office in Nagpur. LMEL will also have to deploy equipment like camera traps to record the presence of wild animals and their movement in the area and take steps to control man-animal conflicts, says the EAC.
The EAC has also recommended that the company should use at least 20% of vehicles that run on alternative energy like electric, solar, or CNG in the site area. The company has also been asked by the EAC to complete the public hearing commitments for the project within three years to address the people's concerns over the project. It will have to comply with all the action plans made to address the concerns and also record the outcomes.
LMEL, which has mines at Surjagarh, is building an integrated steel complex at Konsari, over 100km away. The ore mined from Surjagarh would largely feed the steel complex at Konsari.