State-Owned HCL Inks MoU With IIT (ISM) Dhanbad To Enhance Copper Ore Production

Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for technical collaboration to increase the the state owned firm's copper ore production.

This is the first technical collaboration between the two organisations.

HCL is the only copper miner in India and owns all operating mining leases for copper ore in the country.

At present, majority of ore production comes through underground mode only and the level of ore production is hovering around four million tonnes per annum.

However, due to the complex geological characteristics of the ore and the increasing depth of mining, various issues have arisen including technical and operational problems and the need to maintain safety standards and address sustainability issues.

HCL is currently in an expansion phase and plans to increase its ore production capacity threefold in the coming years.

IIT (ISM) Dhanbad is an eminent institute in the fields of mining, minerals beneficiation, and earth sciences and will be instrumental in addressing the emerging issues that HCL faces as it expands.

The MoU will allow HCL to receive technical assistance, guidance, and consultancy work from IIT (ISM) to increase copper ore production through modifying mining methods with application of state-of-the-art technologies, improvement of productivity and safety in mines, environmental clearance issues, and various hydrological and hydro-geological studies.

HCL also plans to partner with IIT (ISM) on R&D projects to improve the Indian copper mining sector and provide training and development opportunities for the company's engineers and managers to enhance their skills and knowledge in the areas of exploration, ore beneficiation, and various statutory and mine regulation amendments.