India's NMDC and J&K Minerals have agreed to progress the joint-venture Panthal Magnesite Project, planning to produce dead burned magnesite (DBM) from 2012.
Located at Panthal, in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the project holds magnesite reserves of 4.6m. tonnes and 2.5m. tonnes at 1.5% SiO2.
The partners plan to mine the raw material at 124,000 tpa crude magnesite, yielding 82,000 tpa -50-20mm magnesite, which will offer a 30,000 tpa to DBM plant.
Due diligence on the project, which proposes a 485 hectare (4.85km2) mine site and 90 hectare plant site, was completed in August 2009.
Tenders for construction contracts are expected to go out in September 2010, with commissioning expected in August 2012.
An oil-fired shaft kiln of 100 tpd capacity will be used to calcine the magnesite in a two-step process. Grades produced will be 93% MgO and 95% MgO, with low iron and silica contents.
The project a 74% and 26% split between NMDC and J&K was first outlined in 1992. However, the influx of cheap Chinese dead burned magnesite and fused magnesite imports quashed any further development, despite some initial mining conducted.
At MagMin 2010 in Istanbul, NMDC project manager, Sanjay Nag, said the decline in availability of quality Chinese imports was a key driver for the project.
The project is also expected to benefit from growth in the Indian steel industry projected to reach 124m. over the next two years and India's relatively high consumption of refractories per tonne of steel (35kg/tonne compared with 10kg/tonne in Japan).
Located at Panthal, in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the project holds magnesite reserves of 4.6m. tonnes and 2.5m. tonnes at 1.5% SiO2.
The partners plan to mine the raw material at 124,000 tpa crude magnesite, yielding 82,000 tpa -50-20mm magnesite, which will offer a 30,000 tpa to DBM plant.
Due diligence on the project, which proposes a 485 hectare (4.85km2) mine site and 90 hectare plant site, was completed in August 2009.
Tenders for construction contracts are expected to go out in September 2010, with commissioning expected in August 2012.
An oil-fired shaft kiln of 100 tpd capacity will be used to calcine the magnesite in a two-step process. Grades produced will be 93% MgO and 95% MgO, with low iron and silica contents.
The project a 74% and 26% split between NMDC and J&K was first outlined in 1992. However, the influx of cheap Chinese dead burned magnesite and fused magnesite imports quashed any further development, despite some initial mining conducted.
At MagMin 2010 in Istanbul, NMDC project manager, Sanjay Nag, said the decline in availability of quality Chinese imports was a key driver for the project.
The project is also expected to benefit from growth in the Indian steel industry projected to reach 124m. over the next two years and India's relatively high consumption of refractories per tonne of steel (35kg/tonne compared with 10kg/tonne in Japan).
