Cement, Energy and Environment

besides the challenges on availability of raw materials, the supply of railway wagons is likely to worsen during the course of the current year affecting dispatches to some markets. In 2009, a capacity of 26.88 million tonne went on stream, while the industry registered a growth of 10.3 per cent dispatches at 195 million tonne against 177 million tonne logged last year. ACC's installed capacity rose to 26 million tonne per annum in 2009. There was some delay in fresh capacity addition which helped ease the pressure on prices. An analyst said that the fiscal 2011 appears to be a challenging year for the cement industry. There is bound to be a surplus production capacity even if the Government achieves its forecast of 8 per cent GOP growth in the financial year 201 0-11 ." Courtesy: FIMI(Federation of Indian Mineral Industries) 15 Apri/2010, P28. CHETTINAD CEMENT PLANS PAN-INDIA PRESENCE Chettinad Cement Corporation Ltd, which expects to grow its annual cement production capacity to 10 million tonnes (Mt) in Tamil Nadu by next year, has decided to double this capacity through its expansion in Karnataka. By the end of this decade Chettinad Cement aims to have a pan– India presence with units in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh . Addressing reporters at its Puliyur factory, Mr. C Sudhakar, President, Chettinad Cement, said the company has over 8.2 Mt production capacity distributed across three units in Tamil Nadu and ·is adding a 2.2 Mt capacity at Karikkali in Dindigul district. This capacity would be in place by March 2011 , and its total in the State would increase to 10 Mt. He told the reporters who were on a tour of its production facilities organized by the company that the next stage of expansion would be in Gulbarga, Karnataka. Chettinad Cement Corporation Ltd has firmed up plans to invest over Rs.2,500 crore in the next five years to add 7.5 Mt cement production capacity. Courtesy: The Hindu Business Line, Karur, February 18, 2010. DALMIA CEMENT TO FINALIZE REVAMP PLAN BY MARCH-END The company has charted out a Rs. 4,500-crore investment plan of which Rs.3,200 crore has been 'underwritten' by a consortium of banks led by lOBI, according to the official. The company has invested Rs. 450 crore and for the balance it is examining various options including a follow-on public offer (FPO) or a stake sale with the promoters offloading 10 - 15 per cent to Fils. It is also looking at an IPO for attracting private equity funding into its subsidiary, Oalmia Cement Ventures Ltd. As of now Oalmia Cement has an annual cement production capacity of about 14 million tonnes. This includes 9 million tonnes distributed across three of its plants - at Oalmiapuram (4 million tonnes) and Ariyalur (2.5 million tonnes) in Tamil Nadu and one in Kadapa (2.5 million tonnes), Andhra Padesh and 5 million tonnes with OCL, a part of the Oalmia family, in which Oalmia Cement holds a 45 per cent stake. Courtesy: The Hindu Business Line, Tiruchi, February 6, 2010. GNG GROUP TO SET UP CEMENT PLANT IN MEGHALAYA It has been reported that international trading company GNG group is setting up an Rs.450 crore integrated cement plant in Meghalaya, with a capacity to produce 1 million tpa of cement. The plant will be called Green Valley Industries and will be commissioned by March 2011 . The project will be carried out in two phases. Work for the first phase has already begun and is scheduled to be completed by March 2010. The second phase will begin within a year of completion of the first phase. According to the company's Chairman, Rs. 250 core investment has already been made for the 0.6 million t first phase. The group expects turnover to increase from Rs.500 crore to Rs. 700 crore after one year of commissioning. In addition, the Chairman revealed that the group's cement business will require an investment of some .. Rs. 1500 crore in the next five to six years. Courtesy: World Cement, January 2010, P12. 8