Cement, Energy and Environment

ensure highest standards in environment management." The central control room is designed as a green building, among the first green buildings that are functionally part of a manufacturing establishment." "We are also setting up a new captive power plant of 25 MW capacity to cater to the project's power requirement," he added. But with prices falling continuously, new capacity additions would add to the oversupply in the western region, said experts. Some markets in the region have already seen prices falling over the last fortnight, according to a report by Alchemy Shares and Stock Brokers Ltd. "With no significant pick up in demand in Gujarat, prices have declined further over the fortnight. In Nagpur, the prices have declined by Rs. 8/bag to Rs. 264/bag in trade and Rs. 235/bag in non-trade for A-grade brands. Similar decline has happened in Nashik, with current prices at Rs. 260/bag in trade and Rs. 245/bag in non-trade for A-grade brands," the Alchemy report said. Courtesy: DNA Mumbai, 01.06.2010, Pp4-5. BIRLA CORP EXPANSION Birla Corp Ltd will invest Rs. 2,400 crore to boost its total cement capacity to 13 million tonne from 5.7 million tonne now, Chairman Harh V Lodha said on June 23, 201 0. Of the total investment, Rs. 1,100 crore will be spent to augment existing units' capacity to 9 million by July 2011 . The company has cement units at Durgapur in West Bengal , Satna in Madhya Pradesh, and Chanderia in Rajasthan . The company will work on its Plan to add 3 million tonne capacity at Satna, and set up a 1 million tonne capacity plant in Assam only after getting clearances for mining and environment. Courtesy: DNA Mumbai, June 24, 2010. GRASIM CEMENT TO SET UP TN FACILITY Grasim Cement, part of the Aditya Birla Group, is planning to set up a cement manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu. The proposed greenfield integrated project is likely to attract an investment of around Rs. 800 crore. The company has applied for environment clearance for the proposed project, which also have a captive power plant, according to sources. Courtesy: The Business Standard Mumbai, 09.04.2010. JAIPRAKASH PLANS TO INVEST RS. 10,000 CR Cement maker Jaiprakash Associates (JA) on 04.06.2010 said it would invest around Rs 10,000 crore in the next three years to increase its annual production capacity to 50 million tonnes from a little over 20 million tonnes at present. "We will invest around Rs.10,000 crore, in the next three years, including Rs. 3000 crore, in the current financial year, to jack up our annual production capacity to 50 million tonnes," said Rahul Kumar, chief financial officer. The company has 19 million tonnes of installed capacity at its 12 plants acrorss the northern, central and western parts of the country and 2.2- million tonne facility within the Bhilai Steel Plant in a joint venture with Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). Kumar said the proposed investment will be funded through a mix of debt and equity in the ratio of 70:30, but the firms does not have "any immediate plans" to raise equity to finance the debt part. "We have new plants coming up in almost all parts of the country. This will take our installed capacity to 34 million tonnes annually," he said JA produced 11 million tonnes of cement in 2009-10 and hopes this will go up to 20 million tonnes in the current financial year by enhancing capacity utilization to almost 100 per cent. Asked whether the company plans any acquisition, either in India or abroad, Kumar said, "We will be open to evaluating any opportunities that may come our way." India's total installed cement capacity, as of March, 201 0, stood at around 250 million tonnes, through actual production last year was around 200 million tonnes. According to Crisil Research, about 35 million tonnes of capacity is likely to be commissioned in 2011-12. Courtesy: The Business Standard, New Delhi, 05.06.2010. JAYPEE CEMENT TO ENHANCE CEMENT CAPACITY Jaypee Cement has a capacity of 25 Mtpa and expects to end this financial year with a capacity of 36.5 Mtpa. At present, it business is concentrated in the northern belt. It is looking to expand cement supply in Karnataka and Maharashtra though its Wadi acquisition. It is set to buy a controlling stake in Zawar Cement's defunct grinding unit at Wadi, (0.6 Mtpa, bought from ACC) in Karnataka's Gulbarga district. Courtesy: DNA Mumbai, 07.05.2010, Pp4-5. 9