JSW unveils ₹2,000 cr port facility in Karnataka

JSW Group spearheaded by Sajjan Jindal has decided to set up a captive port at Pavinkurve in Karnataka’s Honnavar area entailing an investment of ₹2,000 crore. The port in question will cater to demand for its Vijayanagar steel plant, which is being expanded to 18 million tons (mt) from the current 12 mt capacity, said official sources, elaborating that the company has submitted a proposal, including a detailed project report, to the Karnataka government for setting up a captive port at Pavinkurve with a capacity to handle 15 mt of cargo. The authority concerned will scrutinize the proposal and implement the port project through the Swiss Challenge mode. The new port is the key to JSW’s plan to expand the capacity of Vijayanagar steel plant – India’s largest single location steel producing facility. Even the new port will only partially meet the requirements of the expanded Vijayanagar plant. JSW is meeting the logistics needs of the steel plant through two multi-purpose berths run by South West Port Ltd, a subsidiary at Mormugao Port in Goa. At 4 lakh tons per month, South West Port is able to handle only 3.6 mt of coal a year or half the requirement of the steel plant. JSW is meeting the balance requirements through a terminal run by the Adani Group at Mormugao Port and partly through New Mangalore Port and privately-run Krishnapatnam port.