Cement, Energy and Environment

' cement unit in Chhattisgarh and would invest about Rs. 200 crore on the same," Singhania said. The company plans to spend additional Rs. 600 core to expand cement capacity by about 2.3 million tonnes per year at its existing plants . The company currently has total 5 million tonnes cement production capacity. It has one cement plant each in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. "We plan to set up new 0.5 million tonne grinding unit in Haryana, which should start operating by mid next year," Singhania said. Asked about financing expansion plans, Singhania said, "We have a debt equity ratio of less than 1:1 . So we'll finance the expansion through a mix of internal accruals and fresh debt." She did not elaborate further. Singhania said the industry has seen 6% growth in the first five months of this financial year ending March but the growth is likely to touch 8-9% by the yearend. "This growth is also due to the high base last year coupled with slow construction activity demand due to extended monsoon," she said. Courtesy: DNA New Delhi, 24.09.2010. KESORAM PLANS RS.1,125- CRORE CEMENT CAPACITY EXPANSION The B. K. Birla group company Kesoram Industries Ltd decided to invest Rs. 1, 125 crore on cement capacity expansion and additional power generation. The board of the company approved proposals for installing a clinker plant of 1.71 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) capacity along with an 18 MW captive power plant at Vasavadatta cement section, located at Sedam in Kamataka. The board also decided to set up a 2.5 Mtpa cement grinding plant at Sholapur in Maharashtra. These projects are estimated to cost Rs. 925 crore. The board also approved a waste heat recovery system to generate power at different units of the Vasavadatta cement section at a cost of Rs. 200 crore. All the projects are expected to start production by September 2012, the company said in a note. Courtesy: The Indian Cement Review, October 2010, Vol.25, P30. SHIVA CEMENT TO RAISE RS.1 00 CR LOAN Shiva Cement will raise Rs.1 00-crore loan from banks to part finance its Rs. 170-crore expansion plan to scale up capacity by five-fold to 6.6 lakh tonne a year, reports Mithun Roy, Chairman and Managing Director R P Gupta said lOBI and Bank of Baroda have sanctioned the loan. The company will mobilize Rs. 70 crore from internal accruals for the proposed expansion, which is expected to be completed in a year. ACC, which holds 14.5%, will inject fund to finance the second phase of expansion, said Mr. Gupta. Courtesy: The Economic Times, Mumbai, 11.8. 2010. SHRI RAM EPC BAGS DEALS WORTH RS. 1,000 CRORE, INCLUDES SETTING UP A 2.6 MTPA CEMENT PLANT IN A.P. Chennai-based Shriram EPC Ltd (SEPC) and its associate companies have been awarded orders amounting to Rs. 1,000 crore across various business divisions, according to a press release from the company. The orders include a Rs.900-crore contract from Shalivahana Cement Industries Ltd for setting up a 2.6 million - tonne ayear cement plant with 2- million-tonne clinker production, in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. The project is to be commissioned in 30 months. Shriram EPC has also received a Rs. 48-crore order from Seven Star Steel Ltd for a 12 MW waste heat recovery– based power plant, in Jharsuguda, Orissa, to be integrated with the existing steel plant. Courtesy: Indian Cement Review, October 2010, Vol.25, P28. ULTRA TECH READIES RS 5,000 CR CAPACITY EXPANSION PLAN Ultratech Cement, India's largest cement maker, has kick– started the next round of its capacity expansion which is likely to cost Rs. 5,000 crore, immediately after execution of its earlier plan of adding nearly 20 million tonne over the past four years. The Aditya Birla Group company has placed orders for two 3.3-million tonne kiln on KHD Humboldt Wedag of Germany as part of its plan to add 9.4-million tonne capacity by 2012-13, said a company official who did not wish to be named. The Aditya Birla group spokesperson declined to comment as the company was in the silent period ahead of the September quarter earnings announcement. 25