Three of the 10 steel players that have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government for building steel plants in mineral rich Keonjhar district have been non-starters.
“Of the 10 steel companies that have signed MoUs for their projects in Keonjhar district, three firms- ArcelorMittal, Uttam Galva and Crackers India are yet to start any work. ArcelorMittal has not submitted its detailed project report to the government till date. Six companies have begun partial production while construction of one steel plant is underway,” minister for industries and steel & mines Raghunath Mohanty said in the state assembly. The companies which have proposed steel plants in Keonjhar district are Orissa Sponge Iron Ltd, Sterlite Iron & Steel Ltd, Sree Metaliks Ltd, Deepak Steel & Power Ltd, Pattnaik Steel & Alloys Ltd, B K Steel & Power Ltd, Brand Alloys Ltd, Uttam Galva Steel, ArcelorMittal and Crackers India Alloys Ltd.
The six steel plants which have gone into partial production include Sterlite Iron & Steel Ltd, Sree Metaliks Ltd, Deepak Steel & Power Ltd, Pattnaik Steel & Alloys Ltd, B K Steel & Power Ltd and Crackers India Alloys Ltd.
Barring ArcelorMittal, Uttam Galva and Sterlite Iron & Steel Ltd, the rest steel projects are smaller in scale with a capacity below one million tonne per annum. Apart from these 10 steel makers, Brahmani River Pellets Ltd had also inked an MoU with the state government for setting up a four mtpa beneficiation plant in Keonjhar district.
