Displaying items by tag: Star Cement

India: The National Green Tribunal has received a complaint from the Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) challenging the Meghalaya Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s approval of Star Cement’s Brishyrnot quarry expansion plans. The Sentinel newspaper has reported that the student organisation demanded the cancellation or suspension of environmental clearance for the expansion pending proper processes. It claims that the ministry failed to meet the necessary requirements for a public hearing. It allegedly did not receive no-objection confirmation from all affected local groups.

The Brishyrnot quarry currently covers 42ha in East Jaintia Hills district and has a limestone capacity of 2.5Mt/yr.

India: Star Cement’s net profit after tax fell by 35% year-on-year to US$25.7m in its financial year to 31 March 2021 from US$39.3 in the same period in 2020. Its revenue dropped by 7% to US$235m from US$252m.

India: Star Cement has incorporated new subsidiaries in Assam and Meghalaya. It has set up Star Cement North East in Guwahati, Assam and Star Cement Lumshnong in Lumshnong, Meghalaya. Both business units are yet to start conducting operations. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has approved both incorporations.

India: Power company OPGC has dispatched its first shipment of fly ash to ACC’s Jhinkpani cement plant in West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand. The Pioneer newspaper has reported that the shipment consists of 3450t of fly ash from its Ib power plant. The power plant has fly ash storage facilities with a capacity of 6900t. It previously supplied ash to a Star Cement cement plant in Assam.

India: Star Cement plans to increase the cement production capacity of its Guwahiti integrated cement plant in Assam by 2Mt/yr. It also plans to increase its clinker production capacity in Meghalaya by 2Mt/yr. The Free Press Journal newspaper has reported the total cost of the planned investment is US$137m. Managing director Sajjan Bhajanka said that the company would complete the work by mid-2023.

India: Star Cement has announced the completion of its US$61m grinding plant project in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. The Press Trust of India has reported that the 2Mt/yr grinding plant is set to enter production shortly. This will bring the company’s installed capacity to 6.3Mt/yr. The company intends to source clinker from its integrated cement plant in Meghalaya that has mines nearby. Fly ash will be procured from West Bengal or Bihar.

Star Cement plans to discontinue its lease of another grinding plant in Siliguri, West Bengal, at the end of January 2021.

India: Meghalaya Cement, Star Cement and Amrit Cement have been accused of illegally mining 1.8Mt of limestone in Meghalaya between 2013 and 2018. The Northeast Now newspaper has reported that the companies mined the limestone in a tribal area of the state without environmental, forest or wildlife clearance or No Objection Certificates (NOCs). Local cement producers also allegedly owe the state government around US$40m in related limestone mining licence fees. All three cement producers reportedly made donations to a local political party.

The state government is also investigating allegations that two of the cement producers have polluted two local rivers, Wah Lukha and Wah Lunar. The former river allegedly turned ‘deep blue’ due to pollution.

India: The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has claimed responsibility for an improvised explosive device (IED) blast which injured one person and damaged a wall and water pipes at Star Cement’s cement plant in the East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. The Press Trust of India has reported that the attack resulted from the producer’s failure to pay protection money as a non-locally-owned business.

India: The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee says that workers have cleared land in Jalpaiguri District on which for Star Cement to establish a 2.0Mt/yr grinding plant. The Times of India newspaper has reported that the planned US$61m grinding plant will receive its clinker from the company’s Lumshnong cement plant in Meghalaya.

Chief executive officer (CEO) Sanjay Kumar Gupta said that plant, which will bring the company’s total installed cement production capacity to 6.0Mt, will serve a state with a domestic cement demand of up to 25Mt/yr.

India: Star Cement’s profit in the first quarter of the 2021 financial year, to 30 June 2020, fell by 47% year-on-year to US$5.91m from US$11.2m. This was caused by a by 37% decline in sales to US$39.0m from US$61.6m. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) also fell, by 42% to US$8.72m from US$15.0m.