NEW DELHI: JSW Infrastructure, country’s second-largest commercial port operator, has emerged as the winning bidder for development of all-weather, deep-water, greenfield port at Keni in Karnataka on a public-private partnership basis.
The Jindal Group company said the Karnataka Maritime Board, Government of Karnataka, has issued the letter of award (LOA) to JSW Infrastructure. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 4,119 crore with initial capacity of 30 MTPA (Million tonnes per annum).
The proposed Keni Port can handle all types of the cargoes on the west coast in North Karnataka region to serve the industries in the area covering Bellary, Hosapete, Hubballi, Kalaburagi and South Maharashtra.
The capacity of the proposed port is expected to be 30 MTPA in the initial phase with further potential to increase substantially in the long run.
The proposed site is located between two operational major ports, Mormugao Port in the north and New Mangalore Port in the south. The proposed port’s hinterland is primarily of coal and coke cargo, which is being utilised for steel, cement and power plants.
Rail connectivity to Keni Port site is proposed to be in southern side and will be connected with the existing Konkan line to north of the Ankola Station. The proposed railway alignment will be developed with a total length of about 8 km. The port will be connected with road and railway routes. As per the Karnataka Maritime Perspective Plan, Karnataka is currently having hinterland potential of 44 MTPA of cargo and the same is expected to increase to 117 MTPA by 2035.