Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) has taken a serious step in the direction of increasing its current copper operations with the appointment of M/s South West Mining Ltd (SWML) because the Mine Developer cum Operator (MDO) for reopening and enlargement of the Rakha copper mine, growth of a brand new underground mine at Chapri and commissioning of a brand new concentrator plant. The contract is for a interval of 20 years, extendable by one other 10 years.
SWML was integrated in 1996 as Jindal Fertilisers Ltd and was renamed SWML in 2001. The corporate is managed by Sajjan Jindal, the Chairman and MD of the US$24 billion JSW Group that features JSW Metal, JSW Vitality and JSW Cement. SWML is primarily engaged in floor mining actions for lignite, iron ore, limestone and dolomite extraction on behalf of JSW enterprises within the states of Karnataka, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. For instance, JSW Vitality’s Barmer energy plant sources lignite from the Barmer Lignite Mining Firm Ltd (BLMCL) the place SWML is the only real MDO.
The mining operation at Rakha in East Singhbhum, Jharkhand, has seen manufacturing suspended since 2001 on account of unviability however this case has modified with excessive copper costs together with newer mining and extra mechanised mining strategies. The Mining Companies Settlement was signed on January 9, 2025 after the preliminary Letter of Award (LoA) was issued to SWML on November 25, 2024. The entire capital expenditure (CAPEX) for this mission is estimated to be roughly INR 2,700 crore which is over US$313 million. The direct and oblique employment can be round 10,000.
Rakha and Chapri kind a part of the Indian Copper Complicated (ICC) at Ghatsila, Jharkhand which is within the Singhbhum Copper Belt that’s comprised of Proterozoic volcano-sedimentary rock that homes the Singhbhum shear zone the place copper mineralisation is localised. Outstanding deposits of the belt are Chapri, Rakha, Surda, Kendadih, Pathargora and Dhobani. Different deposits are Turamdih, Ramchandrapahar, Nandup, Bayanbil and Dhadkidih.
Indian Copper Company Ltd was established by a British firm in 1930 at Ghatsila consisting of a cluster of underground copper mines, concentrator vegetation and a smelter. In 1972 the Authorities of India nationalised the corporate underneath provisions of the Indian Copper Company (Acquisition of Enterprise Act) and merged it with HCL.
Surda is the present working mine with reserves of 26 Mt at 1.2% copper. The Rakha mine has 47.19 Mt at 0.97% copper; Kendadih 12.85 Mt at 1.73% copper and the Chapri block 63.50 Mt at 1.14% copper.
