Goa still has 60 years of iron ore reserves

Even as the state debates the auctioning of iron ore mining leases post the Supreme Court ordered closure of mining activities, the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) Goa said that the state’s iron ore reserves are to the tune of 1,200 million tonnes. This means the Goa iron ore industry can run for a minimum for 60 years if extraction is carried out a the rate of 20 million tonnes per annum, a senior officer with the bureau told TOI.

In 2014, the Supreme Court had placed a cap of 20 million tonnes per annum on iron ore extraction in the state even as mining companies geared to restart operations after the near two-year-long ban imposed by the apex court in 2012.

Stating that the iron ore reserve was spread across the state, the officer said the last survey to identify resources was carried out in 2015. “The figure changes based on the exploration carried out in the state,” he added.

IBM senior officer said that since the inception of mining in the state not a single lease has closed in Goa.

Source: TNN