NMDC, RINL sign MoU to develop 450-km slurry pipeline [July 2012]

State-owned NMDC signed a MoU with RINL for developing a slurry pipeline of about 450 Km from Jagdalpur to Vishkhapatnam and a 3-4 Mtpa Pellet Plant at Visakhapatnam.
Currently, the iron ore requirement of RINL is being met by supply from NMDC mines in Bailadila. The ore is transported mainly through railways, but RINL’s iron ore requirement is set to increase to 19 million tonnes after planned capacity expansion in future. The MoU proposes a slurry pipeline from Bailadila to Vishakhapatnam which will ease the existing transport facility and at the same time increase NMDC’s evacuation capacity. NMDC’s expansion envisages increase in production capacity from the Bailadila sector from current 25 Mtpa to 50 Mtpa with planned capacity expansion of existing mines and addition of new mines ‘Deposit – 11B’, ‘Deposit 13’ and ‘Deposit 4’.
The two companies will go for a JV for laying of the pipeline and setting up of the pellet plant.

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