Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik clears the decks for 1.02 lakh-crore AM/NS steel project

BHUBANESWAR: A high-level committee chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday cleared Arcelor Mittal/Nippon Steel's (AM/NS) proposal to set up a 24 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) integrated steel plant at Mahakalpada block in Kendrapada district at an investment of Rs 1.02 lakh crore.
Officials said it will be the largest investment in the country and the AM/NS integrated steel plant will be the biggest in India.
A government statement said the mega project will generate direct employment for 16,000 people and create significant indirect employment opportunities through ancillary and downstream industries and services. The government said the project, for which an MoU was signed in March, will be completed in seven years in phases. A chief secretary-led high-power committee will monitor its progress. The government agencies will provide the logistics, infrastructure, power and water utilities and all the clearances for the project in a time-bound manner.
State plans to boost steel production
Apart from various grades of steel with its latest green steel technology, the plant will also produce high-value added steel downstream products. The complex will also produce 18.75 metric tonnes of cement annually, making it one of the largest cement manufacturing plants in the country and will boost the infrastructure development in the region, the government said.
The AM/NS will also develop a downstream industry park to promote the micro, small and medium enterprises and help import substitution. A large number of ancillary manufacturing companies are expected to put up their units in this region to support the huge facility.
Odisha, currently with an installed capacity to produce 30MT steel every year, is eyeing to enhance the production to 100MT by 2030. In July, the chief minister-led high-level clearance authority had cleared five steel expansion projects with an investment of Rs 1.46 lakh crore and capacity expansion of around 27.5 MT per year. The JSW is building a 12 MTPA project in Jagatsinghpur district at an estimated investment of Rs 50,000 crore.