Kerneos India Aluminate Private Limited, the Indian subsidiary of the French company, is setting up a unit at Pudi village in Visakhapatnam district with an annual capacity of 30,000 tonnes to calcium aluminate binders.

The "Bhumi puja" for the unit was performed on Wednesday at the site. Later, Segi P. IDICULA, the Managing Director, and Pierre BAILLAGOU (Director, Industries), told reporters that the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) had allotted 20.55 acres at the village and Rs 120 crores would be invested on the unit, to be completed in two years.

They said the company had chosen the site due to easy access to two ports, Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram, and other locational advantages. They said the company was having 11 plants in the world and the Pudi plant would be the twelfth, the first in India. The plant, a highly automated one, would roughly generate 100 jobs directly or indirectly.

Segi said the market size for the product in India would be of 50,000 tonnes per annum and at present the company was selling 10,000 tonnes in India, brought from the Chinese plants. "It is a growing market as the Indian steel industry is expanding and there is a great demand for high-end refractories. In the construction sector, too, the demand is growing," he said.

Pierre said the capacity would be expanded gradually and at a later stage exports may also be considered from India. He said the response of the AP Government was very encouraging and he saw no hurdles in completing the plant on schedule. All clearances had been obtained for the plant, he added.

sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in

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