Trimex Sands Private Limited (TSPL), a unit belonging to Trimex Group, is expanding its existing facilities at its Srikurmam unit and setting up a Greenfield complex in Bhavanapadu area in Srikakulam district with a total investment of nearly Rs.1,000 crore for producing heavy minerals.
“We have finalised a blueprint to become the largest player in the titanium feed stock industry in Asia,” TSPL Director and CEO Ch.V.G.K. Murty has said.
After taking a team of reporters who covered the international heavy minerals conference, which was organised here recently, to TSPL’s beach mining and mineral separation facility at Vatchavalasa in Srikakulam, he said they were waiting for clearances to launch work on expanding their existing unit with an investment of about Rs.150 crore.
The plant, which produces ilmenite and corresponding minerals, launched its operations in 2010 with an investment of Rs.250 crore.
The heavy beach minerals are used for production of paints, paper, ceramics, abrasive, insulation, cosmetics, leather, glass, artificial gems, aircraft parts, ceramics, filtration media and artificial human joints.
The expansion project will increase the production of ilmenite from 180,000 to 300,000 tonne per annum at Srikurmam where it has mining lease of 7.2 sq. km. Mr. Murty said they were also preparing to invest Rs. 800 crore (subject to clearances) on an ilmenite ore plan with a capacity of 3,00,000 tonne per annum and associated facilities.
The new plant will also produce corresponding minerals. The company is in the process of getting mining lease for 40 sq. km at Bhavanapadu.
Stating that there was strict regulatory mechanism for mining beach sand minerals, Mr. Murty said they were at present producing ilmenite and corresponding minerals zircon, rutile, garnet and sillimanite. Though there is huge scope to extract monazite, which contains thorium useful for nuclear plants, there is restriction on entry of private players.
Stating that the beach minerals were replenishable, he said at the Srikurmam unit, they had mined 17 per cent of the minerals and pumped back 83 per cent for refilling and restoring original topography.
To a question, he said they were following most eco-friendly and sustainable technologies generating employment opportunity to hundreds of fishermen and others.
