Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) is set to expand its lignite mining operations, with three new mines scheduled to begin production this financial year.

GMDC will start operations at the EFG Valia and Damlai mines in Bharuch, along with the Lakhpat (Punrajpur) mine in Kutch. These sites are part of a larger plan to develop six new lignite mines, holding a total reserve of 483 million tonnes. Among them, EFG Valia will be the largest, with a peak capacity of 5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), while Lakhpat and Damlai are expected to produce 3 MTPA and 2 MTPA, respectively.

GMDC is currently progressing with environmental clearances and land acquisition for these mines.

In other news, GMDC has officially closed the Rajpardi lignite mine, which began operations in 2007 and supplied high-quality lignite to industries. Spanning 380 hectares, the mine will now undergo a formal closure process, including the preparation of a comprehensive report. DeshGujarat