Mining Process
Madras Aluminium Company Ltd. (MALCO) has its own captive Bauxite mines. The method of mining used is open cast semi-mechanized. Overburden, which is in the form of soil & moorum, is first excavated by a combination of shovel/excavator and dumper in order to expose ore-zone. Then the ore zone is drilled and blasted. The blasted ore is subject to sorting in order to upgrade the “ROM Grade” to “Plant Feed Grade” i.e. 34% Al2O3. Sorting is carried out at the mine-face and the rejects associated in the ore zone are back-filled concurrently. The area is then levelled and afforested. The sorted ore is then trucked to the Mettur Dam Complex for further processing.

Mines
MALCO has its own Bauxite mines in the state of Tamil Nadu at Yercaud (Salem district) having reserves of 0.8 million tonnes and Kolli Hills (Namakkal district) having reserves of 0.9 million tonnes.