RCCPL Private Limited, a subsidiary of Birla Corporation Limited, commissioned the third production line at its Kundanganj unit, scaling up grinding capacity by one point four million tonnes (mn t). The expansion brings the group’s production capacity to 21.4 mn t and forms part of plans to raise capacity to 27.6 mn t by 2028-29. The estimated cost of the Kundanganj project is Rs 3 bn and the unit will receive investment promotion incentives linked to Goods and Services Tax for 12 years.

The capacity increase is expected to support around 100,000 direct and indirect jobs and to strengthen the group’s competitiveness in central and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Additional clinker will be supplied from the group’s integrated units at Satna, Chanderia and Mukutban. The company said the expansion aligned with Uttar Pradesh government policies to promote balanced economic growth and that it remained committed to investing in the state with a focus on job creation.

At Kundanganj the company invested in state of the art technology to maximise fly ash use to produce Portland Pozzolana Cement and support blended cement sales. The project includes upgrades to peripheral infrastructure such as road and rail connectivity. A five megawatt (MW) solar power plant is being set up at the factory and is expected to be commissioned in the second quarter of the next fiscal year, which would raise renewable share at the unit from a little over 30 per cent to around 40 per cent.

Earlier announcements indicated that capacity at the Maihar unit would be scaled up alongside Kundanganj and that three new grinding units would be set up to reduce lead distances and strengthen presence in high growth markets. Birla Corporation Limited, the flagship company of the MP Birla Group, was incorporated in 1919 and has interests in cement and jute. The company and its subsidiary RCCPL Private Limited operate 10 cement plants in eight locations with an annual installed capacity of 21.4 mn t and offer a range of cement products, construction chemicals and wall putty.