Bhubaneswar: The chairman of Jindal Steel & Power (JSP), Naveen Jindal today performed Bhoomi Puja to commence construction work for the Western Dock of Paradip Port.
Paradip Port Chairman of PL Haranadh, IRTS, and other senior port officials were present on the occasion.
Last year, a JSP-led consortium won the bid to build a 25-million-tonne (MT) capacity dry bulk cargo terminal at the western dock of Paradip Port. A special purpose vehicle, Jindal Paradip Port Limited (JPPL), has been formed by the leading steel major Jindal Steel & Power and Jindal Port Private for this project.
The foundation stone for the development of Western Dock was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 17, 2023, during the third edition of the Global Maritime Summit 2023 held in Mumbai.
“The new Western Dock will be developed as the most modern terminal and will greatly enhance the current and expansion capabilities of large industries in the hinterlands of Odisha. It is expected to have a significant boost on economic activity and employment in Odisha and beyond,” said Jindal.
JPPL will invest about Rs 3,392 crore for this development of the western dock of the Paradip Port. The first phase of the project, with a capacity of 12.5 MTPA, is expected to be operational in early 2025.
The project includes construction of five berths, 17 million cubic metres of capital dredging, 25 km of railway track, five ship unloaders, six stacker reclaimer machines to handle bulk cargo, 14 km of efficient conveyor system, two silos of each 4000 tonne capacity to load coal in railway wagons, two mechanised wagon loaders to load lime stone in railway wagons, and facilities for steel cargo handling.
The overall capacity of the Western Dock Project is 25 MTPA, and with efficient cargo handling operations, the capacity can reach up to 30 MTPA.
