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Essar Steel inks MoU with IMMT

M.K. Sampath, Chief of Operation ESSAR Steel, addressing the media after signing the MoU with IIMT in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

BHUBANESWAR: Indian steel major Essar Steel Limited on Wednesday entered into an agreement with Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT) to utilize the indigenous technology developed by the latter’s scientists for deriving high iron values from low grade iron ore.

A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed by IMMT Director Barada Kanta Mishra and Chief of Operations of Essar Visakhapatnam M. K. Sampath at the institute. With the signing of MoU, IMMT became the first research organization to venture into the iron ore processing industry in India, which otherwise is dominated by foreign players.

IMMT was chosen by Essar based on its previous performance at company’s ore beneficiation plant in Chhatisgarh. "We had a tie-up with a Sweden company for use of technology in the plant. But with help of IMMT’s scientists, we could achieve the full production capacity," Mr. Sampath said.

Under the present agreement, the expertise of the IMMT would be utilized to recover the iron values from the processing plant wastes (tailing and slimes of the mines) and assessing the existing plant performance operating with different types of feed materials. Moreover, IMMT would provide help Essar for tuning its plant operations in India and abroad.

Initially, the company would use IMMT’s technology at its upcoming beneficiation plant in Orissa’s Keonjhar district. The refined iron ore would be used at its proposed steel plant in Paradip.

"The quality of iron ore is fast deteriorating. Earlier we used to get iron content as high as 66 per cent in the ore. Now it has come down to 60 per cent.

Through beneficiation we want to improve it to 65 per cent. We will be laying 250 km pipeline to Paradip to transport improved raw material," Mr. Sampath said.

The company would give Rs. 4 crore to IMMT during next two years for carrying out research programmes and help the company commission of the beneficiation plant at Keonjhar.

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