Adani Group's greenfield copper facility to start operations from March

Group has invested $1.1 bn in greenfield refinery in Mundra

The Adani Group's $1.1 billion greenfield copper facility in Gujarat's Mundra will start operations in March 2024 and mark the group's entry into the industry, the company said in a statement today.

Kutch Copper is a greenfield refinery project with an annual capacity of 1 million tonnes.

The project, which will be completed in two phases, aims to produce copper cathodes and rods, along with byproducts like gold, silver, nickel, and selenium.

The integrated complex will also produce sulphuric acid – an essential component in fertilisers, detergents, pharmaceuticals, paper and sugar bleaching, water treatment, and other industries, the company said.

Copper is an essential component for infrastructure development, electrical equipment production, power transmission and the renewable energy sector.

As India aims to achieve the target of net zero emissions by 2070, the demand for copper is likely to go up. But the country's reserves are limited, and it is heavily dependent on imports. Bringing in raw material from Latin America and ensuring an effective national supply chain will need dependable and efficient logistics. In such a scenario, Kutch Copper is poised to become a key player in the sector that will help the industry gain better control over the supply chain. It will also reduce dependency on the only domestic source for copper, Hindalco, and can potentially meet up to half the demand.

The company said in terms of industrial metal usage, copper takes the third spot, behind steel and aluminium. In India, the per capita consumption of the metal is merely 0.6 kg, compared to the global average of 3.2 kg. The country's copper exports have seen a decline recently, and Kutch Copper could revive it. With modern zero liquid discharge technologies and equipment for carbon capture, the greenfield copper refinery has huge potential to appeal to global markets that prioritise responsibly sourced raw materials.

The company said its group firm, Adani Cements, will be able to use the copper plant's byproducts. They can substitute silica and hematite in raw mixes for ordinary Portland cement production. Silver will be utilised by the Adani Group's solar manufacturing facility. The upcoming green hydrogen project will also source essential materials like copper and silver from Kutch Copper. Many major acid consumers in the country are based along the Gujarat coast, and they are also set to benefit from the copper unit, the company said.