By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, January 11, 2022: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday in a virtual ceremony laid foundation stone of Tata Steel’s proposed iron ore beneficiation plant at Joda East Iron ore Mine which has been owned by the company since 1956.

D B Sundara Raman, Vice President, Raw Materials, Tata Steel said the beneficiation plant at Joda East Iron ore Mine will prove to be a strategic addition to meet the expansion target in coming months.

The entire iron ore produced from the mine is fed to the company’s own steel plants along with its sister companies and subsidiaries at Jamshedpur (Chhattisgarh), Kalinganagar, Meramandali (both in Odisha) and Tata Steel Long Products Gamharia (Jharkhand).

A process adapted to upgrade ore is called beneficiation. Iron ore is upgraded to higher iron content through concentration. Iron ore is beneficiated to all around the world to meet the quality requirement of large steel industries

The company has been steadily participating in the development of Odisha and its people, he added.

Environment management has always been a core part of Tata Steel’s operations. Regular monitoring of air, noise, surface water quality and ground water level and its quality is carried out and adequate steps are taken to ensure the environment remains pollution-free, said the company.

The expansion project will increase direct and indirect employment opportunities in the region, including ancillary development and supporting infrastructure. The project will further add to their social and economic growth in terms of indirect income generation opportunities, it said.