Shree Cement proposes grinding plant in Dhenkanal

The 3 million tonne per annum cement grinding mill will have an investment of Rs 452.55 crore

Rajasthan-based Shree Cement, known for ‘Bangur’ and ‘Shree Ultra’ cement brands, has proposed to establish a three million tonne per annum (mtpa) cement grinding mill at Odapada in Dhenkanal district at an investment of Rs 452.55 crore.

The cement maker has opted for the site as it can use fly ash generated from power plants concentrated in Dhenkanal district. “The proposed location near Managalpur village in Odapada would be ideal for the cement grinding unit as the ash generated from industries in the locality such as Bhushan Steel, GMR Kamalanga, Lanco Badbandh Power and Navabharat Ventures can be effectively utilised by the proposed unit for producing cement,” the project proposal of Shree Cement said.

Cement production usually comprises two phases. In the first phase, limestone is sintered with clay to produce small cement balls. These balls are then grinded along with gypsum or fly ash which acts as an additive in the powdered cement.

The proposed mill would require about 60 acres of land. Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) has asked the district administration to identify a suitable piece of land for the cement mill.

“It is requested to intimate the availability of suitable government land/private land in the locality (near Managalpur village) of required extent along with your considered views on the proposal of Shree Cement Ltd for the proposed grinding unit,” said chief general manager (land) of Idco in a letter to Odapada Tehsildar this week. The company has applied to Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (Ipicol), the state’s investment promotion agency to facilitate approval by the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA). Ipicol has sought the views of Idco before placing the proposal at the upcoming task force meeting on cement. Once cleared by the task force, the proposal would move to the SLSWCA headed by the state chief secretary. In a recent meet of the state task force on cement, several project proposals of mid-sized companies such as Emami Group were discussed, said a source who participated in the meeting.

Odisha has so far signed agreements with four cement manufacturers — Odisha Cement Ltd (OCL), Ultra Tech, ASO Cement (Ramco) and Shiva Cement.

Among the cement projects, only OCL India has started production from its 3.5 mtpa unit at Sundergarh. The pacts of ASO Cement and UltraTech Cement are awaiting renewal while Shiva Cement is in the process of expanding its existing unit at Rourkela as per the MoU (memorandum of understanding).