Punj Lloyd to diversify into N-power, deep-sea ports

GURGAON: Punj Lloyd is in talks with US and European companies for a possible tie-up for diversifying into nuclear power and deep-water ports. “As of now, we don’t have a presence in these two areas and plan to do so on a priority basis,” Punj Lloyd chairman Atul Punj told ET. The company is also open to the option of acquiring a couple of companies. “We may look at the option of acquisition if we get the right synergies,” he said.

Punj Lloyd will be bidding for big-ticket urban infrastructure projects in India and abroad, a capability that the company got on board following the acquisition of Singapore-based infrastructure major Sembawang.
With new capabilities in place, post-acquisition, Punj Lloyd has expanded across 30 different verticals. “

With this deal, we are in a position to offer a complete portfolio of EPC solutions to airports, jetties, MRT/LRT, tunnelling, sewerage, amongst others. In petrochemical sector, we are leveraging Simon-Carves’s (a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembawang) capabilities in engineering, procurement and construction of LDPE, PVC, styrene and refinery processes domain,” Mr Punj said.

As one of its first urban infrastructure projects, Punj Lloyd is developing a residential community in Bahrain at an estimated contract size of Rs 542 crore. “We have entered into an agreement with Riffa Golf and Residential Development Company of Kingdom of Bahrain to construct 325 villas of a residential community, Riffa Views, adjacent the existing Riffa Golf Club,” said Mr Punj.

Recently, the company also bagged a Rs 242-crore contract from ONGC for the Uran Trombay Gas Pipeline (UTG) project. Meanwhile, the company is continuing to expand into new countries, a deliberate move aimed at reducing dependence on any one or two countries. “As of now, we are present in more than 30 countries, and are on a continuous lookout for picking projects in new economies,” Mr Punj added.