Essar Projects (EPL) today formally handed over 5 million tonne per annum plant here to Essar Steel, making it the world's fourth largest single location flat steel complex with 10 million tonne capacity.
"To support the plant, Essar Projects has built associated facilities in Hazira that include a 30 million tonne tonne annum all- weather port, two power plants with an annual capacity of 1,015 MW, oxygen and lime plants, a fabrication facility and a self-contained township," EPL Chief Executive Officer Alwyn Bowden said.
Essar Steel has now become the fourth largest flat steel maker at a single location in the world after Baosteel, Posco and Riva. EPL is engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) arm of the multi-billion Essar Group.
"I am proud to be part of the company that created 10 million tonne integrated steel project, the single largest in India and fourth largest in the world, with a total investment of Rs 37,500 crore," Bowden said.
"Essar Projects has handed over the plant to us after completing the expansion project to 10 million tonne steel," Essar Steel CEO & MD Dilip Oommen said.
"The next step would be consolidation. The thrust will now be to ramp up the steel production capacity to 80% by 2013, and thereafter reach cent per cent," he said.
On the outlook for steel demand in the country, Oommen said, "demand in India per say will be healthy."
According to the Steel Ministry, the country production capacity is expected to reach 200 million tonne by 2020, with per capita consumption projected to reach 150 kg.
