Assured raw material supply from captive chrome ore mines is at the heart of our fully integrated business model. A mix of open cast and underground mining operations in Odisha’s Jajpur and Keonjhar Districts cater to our requirement of chrome ore which currently stands at about 0.6 million tonnes per annum.

Although India has less than 1% of the world’s chrome ore reserves, it is of very high quality and most of it is found in Odisha. Starting out with a small mine which catered to only a fraction of our requirement, today we have access to 21 million tonnes of reserves. As per the MMDR Amendment Act 2015, the mining lease at Sukinda and Mahagiri are valid until 2049 & 2055 respectively with a ‘Right of First Refusal’ in the auction thereafter. The Nuasahi Mine is currently not operating but the extension is under process.

Starting with open cast operations, we have now progressed to underground mining which is more eco-friendly and efficient. In fact, we were the first to initiate underground mining in Sukinda Valley and the first stope blasting was carried out in 14th-Jan-2016. The total output is slated to go up in phases to 1.2 million tonnes which will cater to enhanced smelting capacity in line with our business plans.