Essar Steel bags order for Gujarat govt's SAUNI project

Under this programme, Narmada water will be distributed to 115 reservoirs across Saurashtra covering 10,22,589 acres

Essar Steel on Monday announced that it has bagged an order for the supply of pipes to Gujarat government for the Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) yojana, a statement issued by the company said.

Under this programme, Narmada water will be distributed to 115 reservoirs across the seven districts of Saurashtra through four link pipelines benefiting 10,22,589 acres.

The project, the statement said, is estimated to cost Rs 10,800 crore.

The project was announced in September 2012 by the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He had then said that SAUNI yojana would end the water-scarcity problems of Saurashtra.

Of the 586,000 tonnes of pipes required for the project, Essar Steel will supply 120,000 tonnes of Helical Submerged Arc Welding (HSAW)  pipes, which are 12-metres long and 120 inches in diameter.

The order, the statement added, will be executed over a period of one year.

On the recent order, Harjit Bedi, CEO, Essar Pipe Mill said, “We are happy to be associated with the Gujarat government’s SAUNI project. It is a reflection of Essar Steel’s integrated capability to produce world-class pipes in India.”

Essar Steel’s pipe mill has an annual production capacity of 0.6 million tonnes of which 325,000 tonne is Longitudinal Submerged Arc Welded (LSAW) pipes and 275,000 tonne is HSAW pipes, the statement said.

The plant is backed by a steel plant ensuring quality steel for making pipes.

Essar Steel India is among country’s leading integrated steel producers with an annual production capacity of 10 million tonnes.