Geo Mysore-Deccan Gold Mines Launches ₹405 Crore Swarnagiri Gold Mining Project in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has inaugurated a private-sector gold mining and processing facility at Jonnagiri (now renamed Swarnagiri) in Tuggali Mandal, Kurnool district. The project has been developed by Geo Mysore Services India Pvt. Ltd. and Deccan Gold Mines Limited, with backing from Thriveni Earthmovers and Lloyds Metals and Energy, at a total investment of approximately ₹405 crore.
The project covers a total allotted area of around 1,500 acres, with initial mining operations spread across 600 acres. The mine is designed as an open-pit operation, with an audited resource of about 8.2 million tonnes of ore at an average gold grade of 1.49 grams per tonne, translating to nearly 12 tonnes of contained gold. Reported operational life estimates for the main pit range from 8–9 years up to 15 years, depending on the source.
Initial annual gold production is set at 400 kilograms, with plans to scale up to 900 kilograms and eventually reach 2 tonnes per year. The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for a second processing facility at the site during the inauguration.
The project will draw approximately 0.021 TMC of water from the Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi scheme, transported via an 18-km pipeline, indicating the scale of supporting infrastructure required. The state government has also announced plans to set up a Jewellery Park at Swarnagiri for local processing of the mined gold into jewellery.
The development is expected to generate around 700 jobs, with about 80% sourced locally. Andhra Pradesh has stated an ambition to scale state-wide annual gold production to 50 metric tonnes over the longer term, with the Swarnagiri project positioned as the first commercial-scale step in that direction.