NPCIL, L&T commence work on special steels, forgings plant at Hazira
11 Jan 2010
The Nuclear Power Corporation and Larsen & Toubro (L&T), today laid the foundation stone for their steel manufacturing & heavy forgings plant at Hazira.
On 30 November 2009, L&T and NPCIL had announced the formation of a Rs2,000-crore joint venture project to produce special steels and ultra heavy forgings. (See: L&T ties up with NPCIL to make nuclear forgings)
At a ceremony in Surat, officials from the two companis said that the new, fully integrated facility will help develop India's capabilities in manufacturing critical components for the nuclear power & other core sector industries.
They said that the new facility was intended to be one of the best of its kind in the world, with a capability to produce ingots weighing up to 600 MT each, and a heavy forge shop equipped with a forging press that would also be amongst the largest in the world.
The facility will supply finished forgings for nuclear reactors, pressurizers & steam generators, in addition to heavy forgings for critical equipment in the hydrocarbon sector, as well as for thermal power plants and steel plants. Direct access to a water front at Hazira will facilitate multi-modal transportation and exports.
With the addition of this forge facility, L&T's Hazira complex will enter an exclusive group of manufacturers with an integrated capability covering the entire range - from melting of steel to finished equipment.
Indigenous manufacture of forgings will close a critical gap in Indian industry's capability to produce equipment for nuclear, thermal power and hydrocarbon plants. It will enable significant reduction in cycle times. Considering the thrust on infrastructure growth in India, and the global nuclear renaissance, the market potential for such forgings is expected to remain strong over the long term.
No nuclear-based project can be started in India without NPCIL participation. The engineering giant has forged a 74:26 joint venture with NCPIL to set up this plant, with an investment of Rs1,750 crore.