India
identifies first-generation mining site in
Indian Ocean Basin
KOLKATA (miningweekly.com) -
India has identified 7 860 km2 in the Central
Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) as a
first-generation mine site, based on detailed survey and analysis, despite the fact that the extraction of metals from polymetallic **dules in the
Ocean bed has **t yet been proven eco**mically viable, India’s Science, Tech**logy and Earth Sciences’ Minister S Jaipal Reddy said.
India’s polymetallic **dule programme was oriented towards the exploration and development of tech**logies to harness the **dules from the identified
mining site in the CIOB and included four components, namely survey and exploration, environmental-impact assessment,
mining tech**logy development and metallurgical tech**logy development, Reddy said.
The 75 000 km2 area comprising the CIOB had an estimated polymetallic **dule resource potential of 380-million tons containing 4.7-million tons of nickel, 4.29-million tons of copper, 0.55-million tons of cobalt and 92.59-million tons of manganese, the Minister said.
Environmental studies for
mining of the deep-sea polymetallic **dules have been conducted by
India through remotely operable submersibles with the capability of operating at a water depth of 6 000 m, and have successfully operated at a depth of 5 289 m when assessing conditions in the CIOB.
Remotely operable in-situ soil testing equipment was also developed for obtaining detailed geotechnical properties of the
mining area at the CIOB and tested successfully at 5 462 m water depth.
A pilot plant with the capacity to processi 500 kg/d of **dules had been commissioned for the extraction of copper, nickel and cobalt at the plant of Hindustan Zinc, and a second plant for processing 500 kg of **dules for production of ferrosilico-manganese ore had been commissioned at a National Metallurgical Laboratory site, the Minister said.
The China
Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association was also engaged in carrying out exploration activities in polymetallic deep-sea **dules.
India has expressed concern over China extending strategic and commercial interests in the
Indian Ocean through deep-sea
mining on several occasions, and the latest response of establishing its own
first-generation mining site in the CIOB was aimed at countering these concerns.
In July this year, the
Indian government made a statement before Parliament that “countries like China have taken to deep-sea
mining with strategic purpose and they were maintaining their presence in high seas, undertaking deep-sea mining.
India is keeping a constant watch and would take all necessary measures to safeguard its own strategic and commercial interest in the region”.
India’s National Security Council has also been involved in the process with the latter coming out with a policy paper advocating a more aggressive deep-sea
mining programme on the
Indian Ocean bed.
India identifies first-generation mining site in Indian Ocean Basin