The Sukinda chromite valley in India, with 90 million tonnes of reserves and annual production of 3.5 million tonnes, presents significant opportunities to meet rising global and domestic chromite demand. However, its potential of increasing production is limited by smaller lease areas, low-grade ore, blocked boundary ore, and conservative pit slopes due to weak rockmass and inadequate water management. While beneficiation and boundary pillar mining mitigate some constraints, unresolved water management and geotechnical issues continue to restrict optimal slope designs, sterilizing substantial chromite reserves.
SRK Consulting's extensive work in the Sukinda valley reveals that steepening pit slope angles by 5–10 degrees could unlock considerable additional reserves. Preliminary evaluations, assuming chromite grade variability (High Grade ~30%, Medium Grade ~50%, Low Grade ~20%), estimate the value of these additional reserves at approximately $1.73 billion USD to $2.31 billion USD. This potential requires overcoming geotechnical and hydrogeological constraints that limit slope optimization.
SRK’s approach in multiple open pits in Sukinda valley addresses these challenges. The approach includes a strategic reserve evaluation, comprehensive site investigations to characterize geotechnical and hydrogeological conditions, development of optimized pit slope designs, implementation of advanced mine water management strategies, and establishment of robust slope management programs. Such a systematic approach enabled the extraction of previously inaccessible reserves, ensuring enhanced operational safety with significant economic benefits.
Originally presented at Manganese/Chrome Ores, EMD EMM and Ferro-alloys Summit.
