Star Cement in Rs 22,000-cr capex drive

Kolkata: In a bid to capitalise on the anticipated growth in cement demand in East and Northeast India, Star Cement is fast-tracking its expansion plans in both Greenfield and Brownfield projects, so that the total capacity reaches 9.7 million tonne(MT) per year by 2025-26, an official said on Friday. The largest player in the Northeast at present, Star Cement’s current installed capacity is 5.5 million tonnes.

“By the end of 2023, our capacity will be 7.7 million tonnes, and by 2025-26, it will reach 9.7 million tonnes,” said Star Cement CEO Vineet Kumar Tiwari told PTI.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the 6thCementing India conference organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

The total investment for the expansion plan is around Rs2,200 crore, of which Rs1,000 crore has been invested so far, Tiwari said.

Speaking about Guwahati brownfield expansion, he said it is rolling out a two million-tonne fresh annual grinding unit that will commence commercial production by December. The company is also looking to optimise its capacity in West Bengal.