Page 146 - CW E-Magazine (1-7-2025)

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GROWTH PLANS LOGISTICS BOTTLENECKS

Dhunseri group to invest over Rs. 2,000-crore to raise IVPA urges Kandla Port to address congestion
fl exible packaging fi lms capacity concerns and smoothen discharge operations

Kolkata-based diversifi ed conglo- the Panagarh plant. We are planning to at the Panagarh plant commenced from In a meeting with the Indian Vegeta- Responding to operational con- charge operations within the stipulated
merate, Dhunseri group, is planning to set up at least two more lines there – fi rst December 2023. ble Oil Producers’ Association (IVPA), cerns raised by the IVPA, Mr. Singh window.
invest over Rs. 2,200-crore by the BOPET line and second BOPP (biaxi- Chairman of Kandla Port, Mr. Sushil took note of the association’s request
fi nancial year 2028-29 for both green- ally oriented polypropylene fi lm) line. Incentive for J&K plant Kumar Singh, addressed concerns to maintain the earlier system of impos- To address shore-side readiness,
fi eld and brownfi eld projects in order to The expansion plan will be presented to The foundation stone for the BOPP regarding vessel congestion and reaf- ing penal berth hire charges for delayed Mr. Singh urged vessel agents to fl ag
expand production capacity of its Dhunseri Poly Films’ board in its next plant at Kathua, Jammu, was laid on fi rmed the port’s commitment to ensur- discharges, rather than shifting vessels potential issues in advance – either
fl exible packaging fi lms business. meeting by August for its approval,” June 8. “The commercial production ing seamless discharge operations and to outer anchorage and rebirthing – an before vessel arrival or during the
said Mr. Chandra Kumar Dhanuka, from this greenfi eld plant is expected uninterrupted edible oil supply. approach that imposes commercial and daily berthing meetings – so they can
For the greenfi eld project in Jammu Executive Chairman and Promoter, to start before June 2027. Production fi nancial challenges on importers. be evaluated and resolved in a timely
and Kashmir’s Kathua, the proposed Dhunseri Group. The proposed capital capacity will be around 1.28-lakh tpa. Mr. Singh highlighted ongoing in- manner for smoother operations. Mr.
investment is Rs. 1,240-crore, while expenditure on these two new lines at We are setting up the plant in Jammu frastructure enhancements, including He highlighted the importance of Singh said inputs from all involved
the group will be investing around the Panagarh plant are expected to be and Kashmir because we will be get- the installation of new 14-inch pipe- coordinated efforts between port offi - parties, including vessel agents, sur-
Rs. 1,000-crore for the brownfi eld pro- fi nanced with debt-equity ratio of 70:30. ting a big incentive over 10 years. It is lines and preparations to receive cials and importers to minimise post- veyors, tank terminal operators, and
ject at Panagarh in West Bengal. These a Central government incentive,” edible oil at two additional berths with berthing delays and ensure that all customs brokers would play a key role
projects will be implemented by Dhun- “At Panagarh, currently we have a Mr. Dhanuka said. dedicated pipelines. These proactive on-board formalities are completed in streamlining discharge processes and
seri Poly Films Pvt. Ltd. (DPFPL), a production capacity of around 51,000 measures aim to ease congestion and promptly. Emphasis was placed on strengthening operational effi ciency
wholly-owned subsidiary of Dhunseri tonnes per annum (tpa). After the com- Currently, the market size for fl exi- improve turnaround times for vessels. the timely commencement of dis- at Kandla Port.
Ventures. missioning of the two new lines by ble packaging fi lms is around 18-lakh
March 2029, the capacity will increase tpa and it is growing at 8-10 percent DIVERSIFICATION PLANS
“Currently, we have one BOPET to around 2-lakh tpa,” informed per annum. These products are used for
(biaxially oriented polyester fi lm) line at Mr. Dhanuka. The commercial production packaging, mostly in FMCG sector. Hindustan Copper to bid for critical mineral, rare
INVESTMENT PLANS earth blocks with IOC, GAIL, RITES
Hindustan Zinc board approves fi rst phase of doubling Hindustan Copper Ltd., a company HCL plans to tie up with PSUs on case- including critical minerals, in both

production capacity under the Ministry of Mines, plans to to-case basis to bid for those blocks,” domestic and international markets.
bid for critical minerals and rare earth Mr. Sanjiv Kumar Singh, Chairman The partnership will focus on explo-
Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta subsi- aligns with the strong growth expected as it comes at the time of continued element blocks along with other PSUs and Managing Director, HCL told ration, extraction, refi ning, and pro-
diary and the world’s largest integrated in domestic and global steel demand. global defi cit in the zinc market. Since like Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), news agency PTI in an interview. duction activities in India and abroad.
zinc producer, announced that its Board the government disinvested its stake GAIL (India) and RITES as part of its The collaboration includes participa-
has approved the fi rst phase of invest- The company plans to double its in 2002 and subsequent acquisition by diversifi cation strategy. The company also plans to enter tion in mineral block auctions and
ments for doubling production capa- metal and silver capacities over the Vedanta Group, the company’s zinc into pact with Coal India Ltd. (CIL) the development of mining infra-
city. The company’s Board of Directors next fi ve years, taking the total metal production has grown four times while The copper company will soon for taking part in activities pertaining structure.
approved the initial plans for expanding production capacity to over 2,000-ktpa silver production has grown more than enter into non-binding agreement with to copper and other critical minerals
its integrated refi ned metal capacity by and silver production capacity to 1,500 20 times. IOC and GAIL (India) Ltd. for this exploration to be carried out in Chile, Hindustan Copper is engaged in
250-ktpa (kilotonnes per annum) along tonnes. The Board has approved the purpose. he revealed. copper ore mining and holds all the
with matching mines & mills capacity project for setting up a new 250-ktpa Vedanta to sell 1.6% stake operating mining leases for copper ore
across multiple locations with an integrated smelter at Debari in Udaipur In another development, Vedanta is “Hindustan Copper Ltd. (HCL) will Mr. Singh further said that an HCL in the country. The company is cur-
investment of nearly Rs. 12,000-crore. district (Rajasthan) along with associ- said to be planning to sell up to 1.6 per- participate in the auctions which will be team is already in place to carry out rently focussed on the exploration,
ated mines & mills expansion across its cent stake in Hindustan Zinc through a coming up not only for copper blocks due diligence and fi nalise the blocks in mining, and benefi ciation of copper
India’s demand for zinc is projected operations. The company’s current metal block deal for around $350-mn. As per but also for blocks pertaining to criti- which “we will be going to participate”. ore to produce and sell copper concen-
to double over the next 5-10 years, production capacity stands at 1.1-million a term sheet, the Anil Agrawal promoted cal minerals and rare earth minerals. trate, which gives it better profi tability
driven by signifi cant investments in tonnes. The project is targeted to be group will be selling up to 6.67-crore For example, if there is a critical mine- Earlier in June, engineering fi rm in this dynamic market. HCL operates
infrastructure, including steel production, completed in a period of 36 months. shares at a fl oor price of Rs. 452.50. ral block or REE put up for auction by RITES Ltd. signed an agreement with copper mines at Malanjkhand
according to the International Zinc Vedanta held a 63.4 percent stake in the Ministry of Mines & State Govern- Hindustan Copper to jointly develop (Madhya Pradesh), Khetri (Rajasthan)
Association. Hindustan Zinc’s expansion This development is signifi cant Hindustan Zinc at the end of March 2025. ment, we will evaluate them and then supply chains for metals and minerals, and Ghatsila (Jharkhand).

146 Chemical Weekly July 1, 2025 Chemical Weekly July 1, 2025 147

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