The story of KIOCL

Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited, a wholly owned Government of India Enterprise, was established in 1976 to develop the mine and plant facilities to produce 7.5 million tonnes of concentrate per year. The mine and plant facilities were commissioned in 1980 and the first shipment of concentrate was made in October 1981. A pelletisation plant with a capacity of 3 million tonnes per year was commissioned in 1987 for production of high quality blast furnace and direct reduction grade pellets for export. Legend and wild beauty, Kudremukh, in the State of Karnataka, is known to have one of the largest deposits of iron ore in the world.

The idea of beneficiating the ore deposits was first proposed when several Japanese companies came together with the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), a Government of India undertaking, evincing an interest in such a project. Pilot studies suggested that the surface ore with 38% iron could be enriched to a concentrate of 67% iron with available new technologies. The concentrate could be transported to Mangalore, on the coast of the Arabian Sea, 110 k.m. to the west of Kudremukh. But global steel industry went into decline in the late sixties. The Japanese withdrew. Interest was revived in early 1970 when Iran drew up its plans for an ambitious domestic steel industry and was looking for a reliable supplier of iron ore. Kudremukh seemed ideal, abundant and just across the sea and an agreement was reached.