PARADIP: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for construction of the JSW steel plant at Dhinkia near Paradip, expressing hope that the mega project would become operational by 2029.
Addressing the event, the chief minister said JSW would invest around `1.25 lakh crore, including `65,000 crore for the steel plant and the remaining amount for associated facilities, creating nearly 32,000 jobs. The proposed world-class steel facility, with a planned capacity of 13.2 MTPA, would further consolidate Odisha’s position as a leading industrial and economic powerhouse.
Majhi said the previous government had signed an MoU with South Korean steel giant POSCO in 2005 to establish a 12 MTPA steel plant near Paradip. However, due to alleged lack of commitment, the company withdrew from the project in 2017. The acquired land was later transferred to JSW Utkal Steel Limited for development of the present project.
He said after signing the MoU for the proposed POSCO plant, the previous government took nearly 19 years to lay the foundation stone for the JSW Steel Plant in 2024 with an eye on the elections. In contrast, he said, the present government initiated construction work just two years after signing the MoU with JSW.
The chief minister said as per the initial plan, work on the steel plant was expected to begin by 2028 after completion of the JSW pellet plant. However, construction has started earlier, while foundation stones for the coke oven, steel melting shop, blast furnace, captive port and sinter plant were also laid on the occasion. These units are expected to become operational by 2029.
He also announced that the state government had decided to open two engineering colleges in Paradip and Balangir to help local youths acquire technical training and improve employment opportunities.
Referring to the collaboration with JFE Steel in Jharsuguda, where a Rs 30,000 crore project is already underway, the chief minister said Odisha is preparing to sign a ‘Sister States’ agreement with Japan’s Tottori Prefecture soon. This partnership is expected to boost Japanese investment in Odisha’s industrial, tourism, and educational sectors, he said.
Majhi further stated that apart from Paradip and Jharsuguda, new steel plants would be established in Dhenkanal and Keonjhar as well. He said in the last two years, the government has approved 433 projects involving investments worth `8.5 lakh crore, expected to create more than five lakh jobs. Foundation stones have already been laid for 148 projects, generating employment opportunities for around 2.37 lakh youths.
Among others, Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain, Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, MLAs Sarada Jena, Amarendra Das and Ramakant Bhoi, JSW chairman Sajjan Jindal, additional chief secretary, Industries Hemant Sharma and collector J Sonal were present.