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The controversy around, and the eventual closure of, Sterlite’s copper smelter in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, has forced Kolkata-headquartered Phillips Carbon Black Ltd (PCBL) to rethink its plan to set up a ₹600-crore 1.5 lakh tonnes per annum carbon black plant in the State.
The ₹2,600-crore RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company manufactures carbon black, a raw material for tyre-making, from four facilities in the country. “Sterlite (controversy) made us nervous,” PCBL Chairman Sanjiv Goenka said at a press conference here on Friday. The company is now looking at Andhra Pradesh or Telangana. “We are hopeful of finalising the new location in September,” he said. PCBL had initially been keen on Tamil Nadu, and has land in possession for the project. But the public outcry against the Sterlite plant over pollution issues has made the company nervous.
PCBL’s total installed capacity stands at 5.15 lakh tonnes a year. It is investing ₹450 crore to enhance the capacity at two facilities in Gujarat, taking the total capacity to 6.04 lakh tonnes. The expansion of the Mundra facility is expected to be completed in the December quarter while the Palej facility will be expanded by 2020.
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