Sourav Ganguly aims to operationalise steel plant project in 18-20 months

Former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday said that the steel plant project being promoted by him in a partnership at Garbeta in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district is expected to be operational over the next 18-20 months.

The much-hyped project is expected to witness an investment of Rs 2,500 crore to establish the 0.8 million tonne per annum (MTPA) steel plant, an official said.

"We're building the steel plant. But the problem is that everybody expects it to be ready in two months. But that doesn't happen realistically. Hopefully, we're looking at operations in the next 18-20 months," Ganguly said at an event.

"This will be our third and biggest plant. There are several clearances required, including environmental, pollution, and government approvals, which take time," he said.

The project was initially proposed at Salboni, but that didn't materialise and now the company has secured land at Garbeta, which is about 26 km from Salboni.

"It will be an 8 lakh tonne (0.8 MTPA) capacity plant. The project is coming up at Garbeta and not Salboni. Total investment is estimated at Rs 2500 crore," a senior official from the joint venture partner told PTI declining to be quoted.

Asked about Ganguly's stake in the project, officials said it would be "substantial", refusing to divulge details.

Ganguly, also a former chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCL) has partnered with Captain Steel, a TMT bar manufacturer for the greenfield steel project.

The steel company currently operates two plants with a combined capacity of 5 lakh tonnes.

With the addition of this greenfield facility, the total capacity will increase to 1.3 million tonnes, the official said  The project requires around 350 acres of land, and the acquisition process is ongoing.

Initially proposed at Salboni where JSW Group had proposed a mega integrated steel plant which fell apart due to lack of raw material linkages.

Ganguly first announced the steel project during Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to Spain in 2023.

Banerjee at the 2025 global investment summit earlier this month, on a lighter note, had mentioned that Ganguly is also transforming as an industrialist by planning a steel plant in the state.