Displaying items by tag: Rajasthan

India: Adani Group subsidiary Ambuja Cements plans to invest US$722m in renewable energy projects to help decarbonise its cement production. The producer has a renewable power capacity target of 1000MW, through solar and wind projects, by the end of the 2026 financial year. The proposals include a 600MW solar power project and 150MW wind power project in Gujarat, and a 250MW solar power project in Rajasthan. The company also plans to increase its waste heat recovery (WHR) capacity to 397MW by late 2028 from 103MW at present.

Ajay Kapur, the chief executive officer of Adani Group’s cement business, said "This strategic investment reaffirms our steadfast commitment to sustainable practices. We are not just aiming for a substantial increase in green power capacity but setting the stage for a transformative shift in the cement industry. They align not only with our growth trajectory but also with the national objective of decarbonisation and greener future and this helps us become competitive and sustainable."

Adani Group announced in mid-December 2023 that it was committed to investing US$100bn in the decade to the end of 2033 towards transitioning its operations to net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

India: Shree Cement inaugurated its new 4.2Mt/yr Nawalgarh cement plant in Rajasthan on 14 December 2023. The plant boasts an 11,500t/day kiln, which is among the largest in India, according to the company. Following the inauguration, Shree Cement’s installed production capacity now stands at 53.4Mt/yr.

Managing director Neeraj Akhoury said “In our pursuit to become an 80Mt/yr company by 2028, we are excited to announce commissioning the kiln in our new integrated facility at Nawalgarh, Rajasthan. This facility is well suited to cater to the high consumption cement markets of National Capital Region, Punjab and Haryana, besides strengthening the company’s customer servicing capability in Rajasthan.”

India: ACC has received a renewed licence for its Rajasthan limestone mine, allowing it to increase its extraction of limestone there to 1.5Mt/yr. Local press has reported that the mine presently produces 1Mt/yr of limestone for use at the company’s 1.5Mt/yr Lakheri cement plant in Bundi District.

India: Udaipur Cement Works commissions second kiln line at its Udaipur cement plant in Rajasthan. Reuters has reported that the new line doubles the plant’s clinker capacity to 3Mt/yr.

India: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to take necessary actions against what it says is illegal mining carried our without valid environmental clearance in the buffer zone of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.

The call followed an application by Devidas Khatri regarding alleged illegal mining by ACC Cement (now an Adani group company) without environmental clearance and without permission to do so within 10km of the national park and wildlife sanctuary, according to the Times of India newspaper. It was also submitted by Rohit Kumar Tuteja, counsel for the petitioner, that the company continued illegal mining for more than five years, but no action was taken by the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board.

India: Shree Cement’s sales amounted to US$609m during the first quarter of the 2024 financial year, up by 19% year-on-year from US$512m during the first quarter of the 2023 financial year. Its net profit rose by 84% to US$70.8m from US$38.5m.

The producer also approved plans to spend around US$850m on four new cement plants. These include two 3.65Mt/yr clinker plants, with waste heat recovery (WHR) systems, at Pali in Rajasthan and Kodla in Karnataka. Two additional grinding plants will also be built at Etah in Uttar Pradesh and Bangalore in Karnataka. All four units will have a cement production capacity of 6Mt/yr. It intends to support its expansion plans by raising US$122m from issuing non-convertible debentures (NCDs).

Neeraj Akhoury, the managing director of Shree Cement, said, “We have started the trial commissioning of our new unit at Purulia, West Bengal and are confident to commence operations of new plants at Nawalgarh in Rajasthan and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh within scheduled timelines. We are also happy to announce our next phase of capacity expansion projects of 12Mt that will take the group’s cement capacity to 72.4Mt.”

India: JK Lakshmi Cement says that it will invest US$201m in its on-going upgrade to its Udaipur cement plant. When commissioned before April 2024, the upgraded plant will have an integrated capacity of 1.5Mt/yr, and an additional grinding capacity of 1Mt/yr. The Hindu BusinessLine newspaper has reported that the project will help to raise JK Lakshmi’s capacity to 18Mt/yr.

Over the six-year period up to the end of the 2030 financial year on 31 March 2030, JK Lakshmi Cement plans to invest US$972m in growth. This will include both capital expenditure (CAPEX) and acquisitions of new capacity. Planned CAPEX projects include the construction of two new plants, at Kutch in Gujarat and Nagaur in Rajasthan. The producer said that the planned plants will strengthen its position in the West India market. As a result of its investments, JK Lakshmi says that it will become a top-10 Indian cement producer by 2030.

India: Udaipur Cement Works has commissioned a 1MWp floating solar unit at its Dabok mine in Rajasthan. The project was supplied by Oriana Power, according to the Press Trust of India. Udaipur Cement Works is a subsidiary of JK Lakshmi Cement.

Anirudh Saraswat, the co-founder and chief business officer of Oriana Power, said "The state has vast untapped potential in terms of intense solar radiation, one of the highest numbers of sunny days in a year and availability of vast barren and uncultivable, unutilised government and private land. This has the potential to make Rajasthan a highly preferred destination for solar energy at the global level."

Oriana Power is an India-based solar energy products provider that finances, constructs and operates solar projects for industrial and commercial customers.

India: The government has published plans for a new broad-gauge double railway line in Rajasthan. The planned line will connect Jaipur and Sawai Madhopur, and will facilitate the transport of coal to businesses including cement plants. Maritime Gateway News has reported that the new line will increase carrying capacity in the local railway maintenance block by 80%. It is scheduled for commissioning in the 2027 financial year.

India: Mangalam Cement has secured a lease from the Rajasthan state government for the 204Mt Ninama Dunia limestone mine in Rajasthan's Kota District. Mangalam Cement won the auction with a highest final price offer of 85%, corresponding to a tax revenue of US$1.17m/yr for the state. Throughout the operational life of the mine up to 2073, the Rajasthan state government expects to collect revenues of US$1.22bn.

The Hindustan Times newspaper has reported that the Rajasthan government expects to auction four limestone mines in Banswara District later in 2023.

Rajasthan generates 20% of India's cement-grade limestone.