Indian state-controlled iron ore pellet producer KIOCL restarted operations at its 3.5mn t/yr pellet plant in Mangalore on 8 November.
The producer had shut the pellet plant on 25 October for the fifth time this year.
KIOCL has been affected by unavailability of iron ore fines, as a landslide brought on by heavy rains disrupted railway rake movement at the end of September.
The pellet producer has issued two tenders. One tender is seeking a supplier for 100,000 dry metric tonne (dmt) of haematite iron ore fines from indigenous sources and the supplier can export an equivalent quantity of iron ore pellets produced by KIOCL. KIOCL's pellets can only be sold overseas. The second tender is seeking supply of 500,000 dmt of haematite iron ore fines from indigenous sources.
KIOCL has extended the closing date for both the tenders from 8 November to 20 November.
KIOCL produced 1.51mn t of pellets in the April 2022-March 2023 fiscal year, lower by 26pc on the year as the plant was closed for about six months because of a 45pc duty on iron ore pellet exports from May-November last year. It sold 1.46mn t of pellets in 2022-23, of which exports accounted for 87pc.
