Goa: Three auctioned iron ore mine blocks receive environmental clearance

Three more auctioned iron ore mines in North Goa, Fomento Resources' Advalpale-Thivim Mineral Block, Rajaram Bandekar's Sirigao Block, have secured environmental clearance (EC) from Goa's State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). Notably, Fomento's Advalpale-Thivim iron ore block has received an EC for 0.3 million tonnes (mnt), sources informed BigMint. The SEIAA has also approved Salgaocar Shipping Co's Block II - Sirigao-Mayem.

Block V - Advalpale-Thivim, a mineral block of 36.22 hectares (ha) won by Fomento Resources at a premium of 58.8%, and Block III - Monte De Sirigao, a mineral block of 95.67 ha won by Rajaram Bandekar (Sirigao) Mines Private Ltd. at a premium of 111.28 %, are both small mines and fall under the purview of the SEIAA.

Block II - Sirigao-Mayem of Salgaocar Shipping Co. is also under consideration for EC by the SEIAA. It was reviewed in a June meeting of the SEIAA but is yet to receive clearance.

Public hearings for JSW Steel's first mine in Goa, Block VI - Cudnem-Cormolem, is scheduled for 25 September 2024, while a public hearing for Block VII - Cudnem Mineral Block, won by Vedanta at the highest price offer of 93.15%, is scheduled for 18 October 2024. Both entities seek permission to produce 0.5 mnt of iron ore annually to start with.

Of Goa's nine mines auctioned so far, only Vedanta's Bicholim iron ore block is operational, having been approved by the Centre's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.