BRPL acquiring land for pelletisation plant

KALINGA NAGAR: Brahmani River Pellets Ltd (BRPL), promoted by UK's Stemcor group, has started acquiring land for its proposed four million tonne per annum iron ore pelletisation plant here, company sources said on Wednesday.

The Rs 1,485-crore pelletisation project, which would have two separate complexes here and at Barbil in Keonjhar district, is scheduled to be commissioned by September 2010, the sources said.

The pelletisation plant to be located here would require an investment of Rs 680 crore, while the beneficiation plant at Tonto-Nalda in Barbil would be set up at a cost of Rs 805 crore.

The state-run Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation of Orissa would provide the 90 acre required for the project, said to be the first of its kind in Orissa.

The complex at Barbil would need 289 acre. "As soon as the process of demarcation of the land is completed, the company would start construction of its boundary wall, BRPL's Deputy General Manager (HR), Srikanta Kar said.

The project would require 18.3 MW of power and draw water from the nearby Baitarani river.

"The project will enable value addition to iron ore fines inside the state which will not only improve availability of raw material to steel plants but also provide employment for 350 persons, both directly and indirectly, and contribute about Rs 450 crore towards taxes and duties to the state and central exchequer," Kar said.

The iron ore fines, the raw material for the plant, would be procured by the company from exisiting iron ore lessees and traders through own arrangement, he said.