The Essar Steel on Thursday announced the commissioning of an integrated pellet complex in Odisha comprising an iron ore beneficiation facility at Dabuna in Keonjhar, a six-million-tonnes-per-annum pellet plant at Paradip and a 283-km slurry pipeline with 12-MTPA carrying capacity connecting the beneficiation facility and the pellet plant.
The company has invested around Rs 6,000 crore in setting up of the complex. The beneficiation facility is designed to use low-grade iron ore fines. The slurry pipeline is the most cost-effective and fastest mode of transportation that eases significant pressure on rail and road networks, with reduced carbon foot print and minimal environmental impact, said Essar Steel Executive Vice-Chairman Firdose Vandrevala here at a news conference.
With the commissioning of the integrated complex, the Essar Steel has become the largest pellet producer in the country. This facility is phase- I of an MoU the company has signed with the State Government. The pipeline passes through four districts and presently employs 2,000 people out of which 90 per cent are Odias. The pipeline is the longest in Odisha and the third longest in the world, said CEO of Odisha Essar Steel Rajendra Mittal.
Essar Foundation CEO Deepak Mittal said the company’s CSR means ‘compulsory service responsibility’ and informed that the foundation presently has 1,40,000 beneficiaries in Odisha and the company lays emphasis on health and education sectors as part of its CSR activities. Among others, Essar Group CEO Pramod Gupta and Vice-President, Corporate Affairs of Essar Steel Ramesh Mohanty were present.