Adani Enterprises plans to set up 1 MT copper plant in Mundra; to invest Rs 10,000 crore

Adani Enterprises is in the process of setting up a copper smelter project with a capacity of one million tonnes per annum at an investment of Rs 10,000 crore at Adani Port Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) in Gujarat.

The project includes copper smelter, sulphuric acid plant, copper refinery, continuous cast copper wire rod plant, precious metal recovery plant, phosphoric acid plant, aluminium fluoride plant among others, according to Experts Appraisal Committee (EAC) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

"The estimated project cost is Rs 10,000 crore and the estimated environment protection cost is Rs 900 crore. Employment generation from proposed project will be direct employment of about 2,000 and indirect employment of about 5,000," the EAC said in the minutes of the meeting held last month said.

An email sent to the company's spokesperson remained unanswered.

The electricity load required is 300 megawatts (MW). Out of this, 40 MW would be generated from internal process steam by waste heat recovery and the remaining 260 MW power would be sourced from Mundra Utility Private Ltd. Raw materials Copper concentrate and Rock phosphate required for the project would be sourced by importing as well as from domestic market, the EAC said.

Adani was asked to conduct a public hearing before proceeding further.

"The Public Hearing for the project should be conducted by Gujarat Pollution Control Board. The issues raised during public hearing and commitment of the project proponent (Adani) on the same along with time-bound action plan to implement the commitment and financial allocation thereto should be clearly provided," it said.

Meanwhile, in another development related to the group, the EAC sought more details from Adani Power (Jharkhand) Limited, a subsidiary of Adani Power Limited (APL), which is in the process of setting up a thermal power plant with capacity of 1,600 (2x800) MW, called Paraspani Thermal Power Project, in Jharkhand, for preparing the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the project.

The power plant is being developed as a result of the MoU signed between governments of India and Bangladesh in 2010 with a view to enhance traditional ties of friendship, through economic cooperation.

Accordingly, APL in August last year signed an MoU with Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), to develop a 2x800 MW thermal power plant on BOO (Build, Own and Operate) basis in India and supply the entire power generated to BPDB through a dedicated transmission line.

According to MoEF website, the EAC is expected to take up the issue of the power project for ToR in the meeting scheduled on June 16 and 17.