Andhra Pradesh: Historical site to become India's first commercially operated goldmine

The goldmine in Jonnagiri in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh which was a site serving as the headquarters in Southern parts under king Ashoka and later a prominent site of interest for the Cholas is all set to pick up commercial operations starting August 2024. Geomysore, a private mining company, has been granted a mining lease for the site. It would be the first commercially operated gold miner in the country. “Since the grant of mining lease, we have carried out extensive advanced exploration, which includes trenching, soil sampling, IP survey, magnetic survey and drilling. About 33,000 sq metres of close spaced drilling has been done from which we could establish considerable deposits in the area.” says Geomysore’s managing director Dr Modali Hanuma Prasad said in an interaction with the Times of India. 

“We expect to produce at least 1 tonne of gold annually, which could bring the firm into break-even range within 5-6 years,” he added. 

Their evaluation indicates the presence of 6.8 tonnes of mineable gold in the area.  “Luckily, gold in the Jonnagiri ore can be recovered with the cheap ‘gravity separation’ method. To achieve the target of 1 tonne per annum of gold, a processing plant with a capacity to sift through 1,500 tonnes of ore daily will be set up,” Geomysore’s director (operations) Manas Ranjan Biswal stated in an interaction with the Times of India.