Bid to prevent captive mine owners from selling byproducts; make them add value to ore. The Centre has moved to clear any ambiguity that could be misused by captive mine owners to sell iron ore fines in the open market. The move comes after the Jharkhand High Court in February stayed the State from banning exports, but relaxed it later to allow a one-time domestic sale of iron ore fines from the captive mines of Usha Martin and Steel Authority of India (SAIL).

The Odisha government may impose a cap on iron ore production in the state, dealing a blow to the industry reeling under closures, loss of production and a nation-wide crackdown on illegal profiteering. A senior Odisha government official told ET on condition of anonymity that the state has begun work on restricting iron ore production to about 52 million tonnes annually. Odisha produced about 75 million tonnes in 2010-11, a third of the country’s annual output of about 218 million tonnes.

Mumbai: South Korean steel major Posco has sounded out unlisted Essar Steel for an alliance to build the planned $12 billion (12 million tonnes) steel plant in Orissa, which has run into repeated hurdles since the world’s fifth largest steel maker signed the construction agreement with the state government in 2005.

“They (Posco) have approached us (Essar Steel) through a third party to revive the Orissa steel plant,” a person with direct knowledge of the development, but doesn’t want to identified, told FE. “We are yet to respond to Posco’s proposal,” the person added.

Twenty-one iron and steel plants, having capacity of 0.5 million tonnes a year and above, are up for an independent “green” rating. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based NGO, has completed a survey of the country's top steel-sector players for the environmental ratings.

The results of the survey, conducted over around one year and nine months, and the rating details will be announced next month. The centre would also release a 200-page book on the environment status of the domestic steel sector on May 17.

Last year, Ministry had scrapped coal blocks to 6 PSUs and 3 pvt firms for not developing them

The Coal Ministry is likely to begin this week the process of issuing show-cause notices to 58 captive coal block holders, including PSUs, which have not started the development work of mines in stipulated time. "The coal ministry is likely to issue show-cause notices to 58 coal block holders, both in public and private sector, sitting idle on them this week," a top official in the coal ministry said.

Current Indian investment may not be hit immediately

The Australian government’s move to impose 30 per cent tax on coal mining and iron ore profits might not affect any Indian investment in that country immediately, but could have an impact on Indian companies, including state-run mining major Coal India Limited (CIL), which are scouting for assets Down Under.

Tata Steel has flagged off the preparatory work of underground mining project at its Sukinda Chromite Mine (SCM), which has an annual chromite ore beneficiation facility of 6.5 lakh tonne.

"Mining at SCM is fully-mechanised at present. The roadmap ahead is to operate underground mines. This will go a long way in conserving natural resources and, thereby, contribute to sustainable mining in the country," Tata Steel Managing Director HM Nerurkar was quoted in a company statement.

Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday directed Tata Steel to prepare an action plan to remove slag from Kharkai and Subernarekha, the rap coming three days before the founder’s day celebrations and after almost a decade of shifting views on the contentious issue of industrial waste poisoning Jamshedpur’s border rivers.

A slag-choked Subernarekha may hope to breathe easy sometime soon. The Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) — possibly chastised by a CAG report on Jharkhand’s poor conservation of rivers — has served a 15-day deadline to steel wire manufacturer Usha Martin, asking it to state measures taken to check dumping of industrial waste in the river or face closure.

Process still in its ‘nascent stages’; price yet to be fixed

Tata Steel may have claimed that the land acquisition process for its integrated steel plant at Agadi in the taluk had been completed. But the land acquisition officers and farmers beg to differ. While the officers say that the process is in its nascent stages, some farmers say it has not even started.
Tata Steel (Corporate Services) Vice-President Partha Sengupta had, a few days ago, stated that the land acquisition had been completed.