Two major Indian companies, India Potash Ltd and JM Baxi Ports and Logistics, have forged a joint venture by signing an agreement with Aditya Birla Group's flagship metal company, Hindalco Industries Ltd. This joint venture is formed to develop India's first fully automated, sustainable alumina handling facility.
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The project of India's first fully automated sustainable alumina handling facility will be coming up at the EQ-07 berth of the Visakhapatnam Port and is estimated to be completed by next year.
By developing this automated, sustainable alumina handling facility via the joint venture, the common aim lies in:
Apart from this, to further uphold sustainability, the firms will be conducting dust-free operations. This shall further create operational benefits that include faster turnaround times and predictable and scalable logistics infrastructure. For the nation, this is steadily gaining traction because this move will push larger coastal container flows before the demand rises.
This creates a shift to the next generation post-infrastructure, which shall further align with the nation's aim to position itself with green logistics and growing trade ambitions. Moreover, this project will contribute towards sustainable port operations with enhanced exporting capabilities and upgraded logistics infrastructure based on the eastern coasts.
The transportation for moving the alumina via the railway rakes would be initiated from Hindalco's Alumina refinery located in Odisha to the respective port. Additionally, the facility will have a total capacity of 1 million tonnes per annum of alumina with mechanisation starting from unloading to ship-loading.
On this account, the CEO of Vizag Multipurpose Terminal Pvt. Ltd Manpreet Jolly said, "We are not only enhancing the safety and efficiency of alumina movement but also significantly reducing our environmental footprint"
It is estimated that around INR 575 crore (USD 69 million) would be required to complete the set of the facility. Additionally, the involved firms will be exporting alumina and importing fertilisers.
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