RPG owned PCBL plans Kochi plant expansion

While the company plans to set up new plants at Mundra with a capacity of 80,000 tonnes and which is likely to be commissioned by March next year, the 100,000 tonne Vietnam would be ready by December next, S K Ghosh, chief of operations of the Kochi unit told a press meet here.   

 The capacity of the Kochi plant would be increased from 40,000 to 90,000 tonnes at a cost of Rs 160 crore, he said, adding that additional 50,000 tonnes being produced would be soft black carbon as there was more demand for the same.    

Work will commence in june 2009 and be completed by september. The existing capacity of 125 tonne a day will be increased to 280 tonnes a day after the expansion.   

The capacity of the its power plant at Kochi will also be enhanced from 2.5 Mw to 14 Mw. The company needs only 4 Mw and the rest would be sold to the Kerala state grid, Ghosh said.    

PCBL had introduced various pollution control methods, including providing four modules for primary and additional secondary bag filters to arrest dust at a cost of Rs one crore each, he said after taking scribes for a plant visit at nearby Karimugal.    

The expansion will also provide additional direct and indirect employment to 250 persons. There are at present 350 employees.