Hindustan Copper plans to increase mine production capacity to 12.2 MTPA

State-owned Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) is implementing expansion projects to increase mine production capacity to 12.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), its CMD Ghanshyam Sharma said on Thursday.

The move will boost domestic production of copper and reduce dependence on imports.

The company achieved ore production of 3.78 million tonnes in FY'24 against 3.35 MT in FY'23, registering a rise of 13 per cent.

Speaking during the 57th Annual General Meeting, Sharma who is holding the addition charge of Chairman and Managing Director, said that the ongoing capacity expansion project i.e. development of underground mine below the existing open cast mine at Malanjkhand Copper Project (MCP) will augment the ore production capacity from 2.5 MTPA to 5 MTPA.

The ore production from open cast mine has now exhausted and underground mine is operating below existing open cast mine leaving some barrier pillar.

The project has achieved seamless transition from open cast to underground mine in 2023-2