Kerneos India Aluminate Private Ltd (KIAPL), which is setting up a calcium aluminate cement production unit at Atchuyutapuram in Visakhapatnam district at a cost of Rs 100 crore, is awaiting ecological clearance for starting work on the project, according to Managing Director, Segi P. Idicula.

Idicula, here recently to participate in a conference on ceramics, said the facility would be 100 per cent import-substitute.

Land acquisition

Land acquisition has been completed for the project and the company is awaiting environmental clearance. It will be set up in 20 acres bought from the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC,) with a capacity of 30,000 tonnes per annum.

He said the first phase would be completed in 2014. Later, the capacity would be doubled as part of expansion. At present, the product used for improving castable refractories is being imported from China, France and the United Kingdom.

He said calcium aluminate cement produced at the Visakhapatnam unit would help in reduction of freight, and production cost for clients in the eastern belt. Bauxite and lime are the raw materials used for its production. “Easy access to raw material and availability of land and manpower brought us to Visakhapatnam,” he said, and added that India would be the seventh country where Kerneos is establishing its facility. It has production units in China, France, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the US and Brazil.

Steel production

He said with the projected growth of steel and refractories, the demand for castables with calcium aluminate cement would go up. Admitting that steel production which was 72 million tonne last year, remained two years behind schedule than the projected growth, he said the national steel policy envisaged achieving 220 million tonne by 2020.

Published on August 12, 2012