Gujarat NRE Coke to set up Kandla plant

The Kolkata-based Gujarat NRE Coke Ltd, a Bombay Stock Exchange-listed company having plants in Jamnagar, has decided to set up a greenfield project with an investment of Rs 50 crore at Kandla.

The proposed project for manufacturing lam coke will be the company's second plant in the state. It is expected to help the company to double its production capacity from 3.97 lakh metric tonne per annum to 7.21 lakh metric tonne per annum in the next one year.

"The plant being set up from the internal accruals of the company will not only reap the advantages of a strategically located place like Kandla, but will also open up the north Indian market to the company's products because of Kandla's connectivity with the rest of the country, especially with the northern India. This plant too will utilise imported coal from Australia to make coke of the finest quality, with low ash content and high calorific value," said Arun Kumar Jagatramka, managing director of Gujarat NRE.

The production from the second plant, along with that of the merged sister concern Aparna Projects, will ensure that Gujarat NRE Coke retains its supremacy as the largest manufacturer of Lam Coke in the non-captive sector in the country, he said.