NMDC Ltd has commissioned a comprehensive ₹5,427 crore integrated iron ore processing project in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, marking a significant milestone in the company's value chain expansion. The project consists of three major components: a new iron ore processing plant at Bacheli, a 15 million tonne per annum (MTPA) slurry pipeline spanning 135 kilometers, and a 2 MTPA pellet plant at Nagarnar.
The slurry pipeline passes through 61 villages across Bastar and Dantewada districts, providing an alternative transportation mode to road movement of processed ore. This infrastructure reduces dependency on railways and ensures dedicated connectivity between NMDC's Bacheli iron ore operations and the Nagarnar steel plant. The pellet plant utilizes Straight Grate Induration technology to produce pellets specifically for steelmaking applications.
The commissioning enables NMDC to process iron ore fines and slimes from its Bailadila mines into concentrate, which is then converted into value-added pellets. This development strengthens NMDC's presence across the entire iron ore value chain, from mining and beneficiation to slurry transportation and pellet production. The project represents part of NMDC's broader expansion and diversification strategy as the company works toward increasing its iron ore production capacity to 100 million tonnes in the long term.
The maiden production was monitored live from NMDC's headquarters by Chairman and Managing Director Amitava Mukherjee and senior leadership due to adverse weather conditions preventing travel to the site. Mukherjee described the commissioning as "a day of immense pride" and "a red-letter day" that fulfills a long-standing collective dream for the organization, noting the project's complexity involving multiple facilities and infrastructure components.