July 27, 2010: India's largest iron ore producer NMDC Limited is planning to adopt the ITmk3 technology to create a 400,000 tons capacity sponge iron unit at Palwancha in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh. ITmk3, a new iron-making technology developed by Japanese steel-maker Kobe Steel, uses iron ore fines and thermal coal to produce premium grade steel. The environmentally friendly technology has already been implemented at a 5-million tons capacity plant in Minnesota, US. Source: Business Standard