NMDC Limited : Navigating India’s Mineral Frontier with Innovation and Sustainability

By Vinay Kumar | Director (Technical) | NMDC Limited

NMDC Limited is a Navratna Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Steel (Government of India) and is the single largest producer of iron ore in India which produces over 40 MTPA of iron ore from its major iron producing units from Bailadila Sector in Chhattisgarh and Donimalai in Bellary-Hospet region in Karnataka.

NMDC Ltd., considered to be one of the low-cost producers of iron ore in the world, operates highly mechanized iron ore mines. NMDC operates the only mechanized diamond mine in India at Panna (Madhya Pradesh) and has its own R&D Centre at Hyderabad, which provides integrated solutions focusing on lifecycle of iron ore under one roof. R&D centre undertakes works related to mineral processing, flow sheet development, mineralogical studies, material handling & storage, metallurgical studies of iron ore and coal, chemical analysis etc. It is a pioneer in the field of beneficiation and continuously working for development of dry beneficiation technology for different ores and minerals.

NMDC’s Global Exploration Centre at Raipur is continuously doing exploration in the mines of NMDC and adding new reserves every year. NMDC has offered to State Governments to undertake free exploration to quantify mineral resources in the State.

NMDC Mines have been rated 5 Star by Indian Bureau of Mines and all the NMDC Mines & R&D Centre have ISO 9001 (QMS) & ISO 14001 (EMS) accreditations.

NMDC flagged off the country’s first of its kind Mobile Environment Lab from its Head Office in Hyderabad in the month October 2023. This state-of-the-art vehicle has been handed over to the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB), Raipur.

Horizons Unveiled: NMDC’s Visionary Expansion and Pioneering Projects

NMDC has embarked its journey of achieving 100 MTPA Iron Ore production & evacuation capacity by 2030 and to meet the same, many expansion programmes are on the anvil.

To augment the production and to improve thequality of product mix from Bailadila Sector, theschemes like SP–III Kirandul, New Crushing Plantof Dep.14 & 11C and Downhill conveyor, additional screening lines in Bacheli, RapidWagon Loading System (RWLS) etc. areenvisaged and are under construction.

Waste mining and increase inevacuation capacity being a major area of focusfor enhancing the life of mines, the schemes likebeneficiation plant at Bacheli & Kirandul andSlurry pipeline from Bacheli to Nagarnar havebeen taken up.

The upcoming scheme in Donimalai Complexincludes a Second Screening Plant for handling the ROM from bothDonimalai & Kumaraswamy mines in addition tothe existing Screening Plant, is in implementation.

To augment the evacuation capacity fromBailadila sector, many projects & schemes aretaken up through Railways (funding by NMDC) like doubling of KK line of about 150km.Doubling of 106 Km railline is already completed and is in operation.Another 22 km rail line doubling is expected tobe completed by early next year, balance by January 25.

NMDC has taken up an ambitious project oflaying Slurry pipeline from Bailadila to Nagarnarand further up to Visakhapatnam. The capacityof the line is 15 MTPA and this will be associatedwith facilities like beneficiation and grinding plants at Kirandul& Bacheli, pellet plant at Nagarnar. Laying ofslurry pipeline between Bacheli and Nagarnar,2.0 MTPA Ore Processing plant at Bacheli and2.0 MTPA Pellet Plant at Nagarnar are taken up inPhase-1 for implementation.

As a part of Govt. thrust to tap renewable energysources, NMDC is operating 10.5 MW capacity windmills in Karnataka and 1 MW capacity grid connected Roof TopSolar (RTS) power plants are installed in variousproduction units of NMDC and are in operation. Further, as per MNRE guidelines, to meet thetarget equal to 50% of the electricity consumptiongenerated by Renewable Energy by financial year2030, NMDC is planning to set up high capacityground mounted solar power plants.

Journey of Digitalization

NMDC is forerunner in utilizing advanced technologies for better mining methods and sustainable practices. NMDC becomes First CPSE to initiate Drone Based Mineral Exploration in India.

As part of digital transformation to set thelegacy in mining sector and increaseefficiency, productivity & safety, State of theArt Technology driven Fleet ManagementSystem (FMS) is being implemented for BIOMBacheli Complex and BIOM KirandulComplex.Fleet Management solution is designed for online monitoring and control oftracking devices, installed on the vehicle being used for carrying out production activity in the Mine.

NMDC, the first CPSE in India to implement ERP on the SAP S4/HANA platform, went live with its Management Dashboard for Production, Despatch, and CSR in April 2022.

‘Fully Automated dispatch Iron Ore Sampling &Analysing System’ and ‘Automated Capturing of Production & Dispatch data on real time basis from Belt Scales’ were taken up including integration with ERP (SAP HANA) to reduce customer dissatisfaction, eliminate human errors/interface, transparency & accuracy in quality analysis, digitalization,improve reliability of operation, storage and retrieval of large records etc.

SAP Learning Solutions & HRD Dash Board is a digital initiative by NMDC. While learning can be challenging at times, it is important to embrace this challenge and view it as an opportunity for growth and development. By committing to lifelong learning and embracing new challenges, NMDC unlocks full potential for achieving greater success in all areas.

Global Horizons: Pioneering Perspectives Beyond India

NMDC commenced gold mining operations at Mt Celia in Western Australia through its subsidiary company Legacy Iron Ore Limited in November, 2023.  It is a watershed achievement for the 66 year old mining company, as it adds a new geography and a new mineral to its Portfolio.Legacy Iron Ore Ltd is an ASX-listed mineral resources company based in Perth, Western Australia, focusing on gold, iron ore and base metals. NMDC has 92.32% equity in the company.

ICVL (International Coal Ventures Pvt. Ltd.), a joint venture company of SAIL, RINL& NMDC, acquired a coking/thermal coalmine in Mozambique in 2014 and operationof the same was taken over by ICVL. NMDCholds 26% stake in ICVL. Benga mine, one ofthe operational asset of ICVL, has producedabout 1.63 Million tons in FY’23 (Both lowash & high ash) and exported 1.71 MillionTons.

Safeguarding Success: Bridging Proficiency in Training, Safety, and Human Resources

NMDC has its training centers in all its projects.They are equipped with infrastructure as requiredunder Mines Vocational Training Rules. Thesecenters cater to the needs of basic training, refresher training and training for skilled workersand also for those injured on duty.

Health & Safety continue to be NMDC’s priority withemployees & contractual workmen at our Projectsadhering to the SOPs & Safety norms. NMDCappreciates that safety is a journey & is committedto continually improve its performance and sethigh standards.Occupational Health Services have beenprovided with adequate manpower andinfrastructure and are functioning in full-fledgedmanner at all the Projects, headed by QualifiedDoctors trained in OHS at Central Labour Institute, Mumbai.

At NMDC, employees are crucial assets as their contribution is critical to NMDC’s success and performance. We value and invest in our employees, so as to attract and retain talent, increase productivity and profitability, and achieve its goals and objectives.

Ethics in Action: Compliance, Transparency, Integrity& MSME success

NMDC conducts ESG studies in line with the SEBI guidelines and prescribed frameworks. The Sustainability report 2021-22 has been released.

For NMDC, integrity is a way of life and with the objective of improving transparency inprocurement, NMDC had entered into MOU withTransparency International India and NMDC is the firstMining Navratna Company which entered into Integrity Pact Programme in the year 2007.

All procurements of value above Rs.2 lakhare tendered through e-mode at HO &Projects. Reverse e-auctions are conductedfor high value equipment, spares &consumables, wherever possible, bydeclaring upfront in the tender document. Procurement through GeM portal as per theguidelines of GOI, is being done for theMaterials which are available in the GeM Portal.

NMDC also received the Certificate of Appreciation from Ministry of MSME for highest procurement amongst Navratna CPSEs during 2021-22 and The Best Performer under the Navratna Category during the year 2019 and for our exemplary work towards promotion of SC/ST entrepreneurs based on the performance parameters namely (i) procurement from SC/ST (ii) No. of Vendor Development Programs for SC/ST and (iii) Number of SC/ST entrepreneurs benefitted as per the data uploaded on Sambandh Portal.

NMDC 2.0

NMDC, in August 2023, unveiled its new logo showcasing the CPSE’s dedication to responsible mining. The new logo signifies the company’s future scale and strength after achieving a record production of 40 million tonnes for two consecutive fiscals. With a robust digital roadmap for smart mining, NMDC is stepping into NMDC 2.0, reimagining its principal visual identity.

(Shilpa Bichitra | Special Edition | 2023)