The Tata Steel’s 3 million tonne per annum(mtpa) green field steel plant at Kalinganagar in Odisha’s Jajpur district was commissioned on Wednesday.
Dedicating the plant to the nation, the Odisha chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, said that the Tata Steel is committed to ramp up the steel making capacity of the plant to 16 mtpa with an investment of R1 lakh crore by 2025. He said the Tata Steel’s investments would be part of the state government’s Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR)-2015 target of attracting Rs 1.70 lakh crore investment in the state to create 3 lakh jobs.
The Tata Sons Group chairman, Cyrus P Mistry, said that Odisha is poised for a 20% growth rate by 2020 as it has already emerged as one of the top destinations for investments in the country.
Mistry said Tata Steel is going to invest Rs 2,000 crore in iron ore and mining operation in the state in coming years. The Gopalpur Industrial Park and Multi-Product Special Economic Zone(SEZ) in the state would attract investment to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore, he said adding, that the 55,000 tpa ferro chrome plant, which would serve as anchor tenant for the SEZ would be commissioned by early 2016.
According to him, Rs 500 crore has already been invested in the ferro chrome plant.
Stating that the Odisha plant is the largest single location green field project in the country, the Tata Steel managing director, TV Narendran, said the Kalinganagar facilities would produce highly specialized and customized steels for auto, oil & gas sectors. He said with the commissioning of the first phase of the 6 mtpa steel project, the total production capacity of Tata Steel in India has become 13 mtpa.