MALANJKHAND

Copper in India

In the use of copper goes back to antiquity. Evidence of Copper mining and smelting in ancient Rajastan, Andhra Pradesh ad in West Himalayan Region in Kullu and Garhwal, and excavations at Mohenjodaro and Harappa have established that its uses included implements of war, objects d’art, ornaments and coinage.

Indian craftsmanship in brass and broze is world-famous. Tanjore bronze, brass plaques, engraved brass sheets and broze bells are priaed both at home and abroad. The variety of the copper and bronze decoratives are found in many temples never fail to evoke our admiration.

Extent of the Ore Deposits

Most of the Indian ore deposits have a copper content of less than 2%. The deposits are confined largely to Singbhum in Jarkhand, Khetri in Rajastan, Malanjkhand in Madhya Pradesh followed by Chiradurga in Karnataka and Agnigundala in Andhra Pradesh.

Hindustan copper Limited.
Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) is a Government of India Enterprise under the administrative control of the Ministry of Mines. It was incorporated as Public Sector Undertaking on 9th November 1967, under the Companies Act, 1956. HCL is the sole integrated producer of refined copper.

Major activities of HCL are mining, ore beneficiation, smelting, refining and casting of refined metal into downstream products. Precious metals present in the ore are also recovered. The company markets copper cathodes, copper wirebar, continuous cast copper rods and byproducts such as anode slime (containing gold, silver etc), copper sulphateand sulphuricacid. More than 90% of the sales revenue is from cathode and continuous cast copper rods.

HCL has four operating units – one each in the state of Rajastan, Jarkand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, as described below.

Khetri copper complex, Khetrinagar , Rajasthan India

This complex was initially established by the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) as a copper mine which was transferred to HCL in 1967. subsequently, smelting and refining facilities were added.

Presently, KCC comprises two underground mines (capacity 1 million tones of ore per annum) viz Khetri and Kolihan. Together with a concentrator plant, a metallurgical complex and a refinery, the company has in this sector a capacity to produce 31,000 TPA of refined copper in the form of cathodes.

Malanjkhand copper Project, MP State, India

Malanjkhand Copper Project has the single largest copper deposit in India and produces around 70% of HCL’s total copper-in-concentrate production. Established in 1982, the unit comprised an open pit mine with a capacity of 2 million TPA of ore with a matching concentrator plant. The copper concentrate produced at Malanjkhand is sent to Ghatsilaunit (ICC) for processing into refined copper

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