Gujarat NRE may look at Bengal for coke plant

Metallurgical coke manufacturer Gujarat NRE Coke on Friday said it may consider West Bengal for setting up of a greenfield plant.

"We do not rule out the possibility of putting up a plant in West Bengal. But that decision will be taken once the Andhra Pradesh plant is half-way through," Gujarat NRE Coke Chairman and Managing Director Arun Jagatramka told reporters after the company's AGM here.

The company is expanding capacity in Gujarat and setting up a new plant in Andhra Pradesh, with a capacity of 1.5 million tonnes (MT) per annum, he said.

"We hope to get environmental clearance from the Andhra government soon after which work will start," he said.

The target production of met coke (metallurgical coke) was 4 MT per annum in the next four years, he said.

The Andhra plant would entail an investment of Rs 600 crore.

Regarding Gujarat expansion, he said, "We have some land in that state. So it will be easier for us to expand there".

Jagatramka said that although there was a stagnation in growth in the steel industry, coke prices were higher due to scarcity of the commodity.

He said demand for coke in the east would be met from the Andhra plant once it was operational.