TNPL's cement plant at Karur

Tamil Nadu Newsprint & Papers (TNPL) has firmed up plans to establish a mini cement plant close to its plant near Karur in the state. It is also planning to set up 0.4 million-sq ft IT Park at Ambattur, in Chennai making use of its surplus land. Chief minister M Karunanidhi said TNPL, with its existing capacity, produces 480 tonnes per day (tpd) of pulp. In the process, it also generates 220 tpd of lime sludge and 150 tpd of fly ash, both of which are key raw materials in the manufacture of high-grade cement.

With TNPL’s expansion plans nearing completion, the amount of pulp produced per day is expected to increase to 720 tpd. Consequently, the lime sludge generated will increase to 400 tpd, with 50% moisture content, as also the quantity of fly ash. While TNPL has been selling this to distributors as well as cement manufacturers, who were lifting them only after the moisture content dried down. This, in fact, led not only to the accumulation of these stocks at the plant site, but was also causing environmental problems in the region. Hence, TNPL has decided to utilise the lime sludge and fly ash by setting up a 400-tpd cement plant at a cost of Rs 45 crore. This will not only help the company to productively utilise the waste materials, but also help in environmental management, the chief minister said.

He also said the company, which has about 63.5 grounds of vacant land in Ambattur Industrial Estate, now plans to promote a 0.4 million-sq ft IT Park at a cost of Rs 80 crore. Once completed, it can house 4,000 IT professionals. “As for the mini cement plant, our studies showed that it is technically and economically viable. Estimated to cost around Rs 50 crore, we expect the plant to be completed by March 31, 2009,” an official source in TNPL told ET. Further, the source said, the company owns nearly 64 grounds of freehold land in Ambattur, which is emerging as a second IT hub in the city.