Tatas K Nagar plant will be ready by early 2014

BHUBANESWAR: Tata Steel on Saturday exuded confidence that Phase-I of 3 to 3.5 mtpa capacity steel project at Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district will be commissioned by early 2014. “Work on the Phase-I of the Kalinga Nagar steel plant is going on in full swing and  expected to be operational by January or February 2014,” Managing Director of Tata Steel H.M. Nerurkar told mediapersons after emerging out of a meeting with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here. The steel major, which is setting up a six million tonne per annum (mtpa) greenfield steel plant at Kalinga Nagar, has already invested ` 10,000 crore and the total project cost may go up to ` 25,000 crore. The flat products that will be produced in the first phase will use cold roll and hot roll methods, he said.“I apprised the Chief Minister of the status of our projects at Gopalpur and Kalinga Nagar,’’ he added. The company, which is playing the role of an anchor tenant for an industrial park at Gopalpur, has received special economic zone (SEZ) status and is hopeful of obtaining environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests by October. Construction work will be taken up after the statutory clearance, he added. As anchor tenant, the company has proposed a 50,000-tonne capacity ferro-alloys plant and four-lakh tonne cold roll re-bar mill at the industrial park with an investment ranging from ` 10,000 to 15,000 crore. This will boost the confidence of the prospective investors in the SEZ, he said.  Tata Steel had acquired 3,400 acres In Kalinga Nagar in 1992 for the steel project while 3,700 acres are under its possession at Gopalpur where the company had planned  a 10-million tonne steel plant. The Gopalpur project was shelved following public protest. The company later proposed to set up the SEZ on this patch of land and also got in- principle approval from the Centre for the purpose. Official sources said Tata Steel has completed construction of boundary wall and intake well. Construction of batching and sinter plants is in progress along with laying of internal roads.