By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: As many as 142 bids were submitted by different companies for 12 mineral blocks in Odisha Mining auction.
Only Garramura limestone block in Nuapada received no bidders. Alaghat West Iron Ore Block in Sundargarh, with over 133 Million Tonne of Resources attracted 22 Bidders, including Jindal Steel Ltd, Rungta Sons Pvt Ltd, Tata Steel, JSW Steel, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India, Vedanta and Essar Minmet.
No Bidder for Garramura limestone block in Nuapada. The absence of bidders for the Garramura limestone block is being attributed to its relatively small size and limited geological depth.
As many as 19 bids were submitted for Rengalaberha North-East Extension and Nuagan West iron ore block in Keonjhar and Thakurani-A1 iron ore block .
Bauxite blocks at Tarhapani (West) and Karnapodikonda in Koraput district have drawn bids from NALCO, Hindalco and Vedanta. Manganese blocks at Kutinga, Patamunda-A and Jajang-A have also attracted multiple bidders, particularly from alloy manufacturers and sponge iron producers.
Cement-grade limestone blocks at Telipadar-Lukapada-Pipalmunda (Balangir) and Tummura limestone and dolomite block (Sundargargh) received moderate interest from cement manufacturers and diversified mining companies, in line with regional capacity expansion plans.
The auction involved virgin mineral blocks in districts such as Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Koraput, and Nuapada, including types like iron ore, bauxite, manganese, limestone, and composite deposits. Examples of blocks include Alaghat West Iron Ore Block (Sundargarh), Rengalaberha North-East Extension and Nuagan West Iron Ore Block (Keonjhar), Thakurani-A1 Iron Ore Block (Keonjhar), and Kedesala West Iron Ore Block (Sundargarh).
1) Alaghat West Iron Ore Block- District- Sundergarh, Resource- 133.40 MT @ 59.04% Fe
2) Rengalaberha North-East Extension and Nuagan West Iron Ore Block- District- Kendujhar, Resource- 37.95 MT @ 57.87% Fe.
3) Thakurani-A1 Iron Ore block- District- Keonjhar, Resource- 50.532 MT at >35% Fe cutoff.
4) Kedesala West Iron Ore Block- District- Sundergarh, Resource- 84.56 MT Iron Ore @ 55.76% Fe and 1.23 MT Aluminous Laterite @ 37.32% Al2O3.
5) Tarhapani (West) Bauxite Block- District- Koraput, Resource- 15.901 MT Bauxite @ 35.92% Al2O3 and 6.666 MT Aluminous Laterite @ 27.56% Al2O3.
6) Karnapodikonda Bauxite Block- District- Koraput, Resource- 42.397 MT Bauxite @ 44.99% Al2O3 and 4.509 MT Aluminous Laterite @ 40.48% Al2O3.
7) Kutinga Manganese Block- District- Koraput, Resource- 2.55 MT @ 20.67% Mn.
8 ) Garramura Limestone Block- District- Nuapada, Resource- 2.98 MT @ 46.63% CaO and 1.44% MgO.
9) Telipadar-Lukapada – Pipalmunda Limestone block- District- Balangir, Resource- 8.5504 MT @ 47.43% CaO and 0.561% MgO.
10) Patamunda-A Manganese block- District- Sundergarh, Resource- 6.66 MT Manganese @11.91% Mn and 0.31 MT Iron Ore @ 46.47% Fe.
11) Jajang-A Iron and Manganese Block- District- Kendujhar, Resource- 2.19 MT Manganese @ 14.68% Mn and 16.05 MT Iron Ore @50.68% Fe.
12) Tunmura Limestone & Dolomite Block- District- Sumdergarh, Resource- 4.042 MT Limestone @ 42.849% CaO and 7.437 MT Dolomite @ 26.713% CaO.
