JSPL to commission 6 mtpa steel plant in Odisha by May end

Jindal Steel and Power Plant's (JSPL) six million tonne per annum (mtpa) steel plant in Odisha's Angul would be commissioned by the end of May, JSPL Chairman Naveen Jindal said on Friday.

He said the sinter plant has already been commissioned and the blast furnace is likely to be commissioned by next week.

In the first phase, the Angul steel plant would be expanded from the present capacity of 2 MTPA to 6 MTPA.

With the commissioning of the blast furnace, JSPL will become India's fourth largest steelmaker after JSW, SAIL and Tata Steel.

The blast furnace at Angul is part of the company's proposed 12.5 MTPA steel plant and 2,600 MW of power projects in phases, said company sources.

Jindal, who met Chief Secretary A.P. Padhi and other officials at the state secretariat here, also sought the withdrawal of the hike in electricity duty on Captive Power Plants (CPPs).

"I appeal the state government to withdraw the decision as hiking electricity duty from 30 paise to 55 paise would affect the business of the investors," he said.

The state government on Thursday hiked electricity duty by 25 paise per unit for the CPPs, which generate electricity for their own consumption, in a move that it expects to generate additional revenue worth Rs 875 crore annually.

--IANS

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