Vedanta to start Bauxite mining

Sterlite Industries proposal to start mining bauxite from the Niyamgiri hills in Kalahandi district Orissa state for its Rs40000M ($838.6M) refinery at Lanjigarh, Orissa within a year. The company received clearance from the Indian Supreme Court recently and says it is in the process of obtaining the forest and environmental clearance from the ministry of environment and forests. Meanwhile, the company has set out an expansion plan for the Lanjigarh refinery at an estimated investment of about Rs90000M ($1886.8M). Under it, the capacity of the refinery is proposed to be increased from 2Mt/y to 5Mt/y. The expanded capacity will be in phases and is expected to be completed by 2012, company sources said. Source: Aluminium Today