CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu News Print Limited (TNPL) would be implementing the first phase of its Rs 1,250 crore Mill Expansion Programme at Mondipatti in Tiruchirapalli next month by setting up a chemical hardwood pulp plant, said Additional Chief Secretary and Managing Director of TNPL Rajeev Ranjan.
Ranjan, who earlier had two stints in TNPL, told TNIE the production at the plant is targeted in November 2021. The plant will have a production capacity of 400 tonnes per day. He said this would cut down the import of chemical hardwood pulp for board-making, now purchased at higher costs. “This would bring down the expenses by Rs 10 crore a month as TN will be self-sufficient in pulp.”
Ranjan also highlighted the TNPL’s first sustainability report and its adoption of a ‘circular model economy’ and said how they show the mill’s commitment towards environment and society. “This is an energy intensive and water intensive industry and as we go along, we have to ensure it is a sustainable one too. This is why we wanted to highlight what we are doing for the circular economy,” said Ranjan.
A circular economy, as defined by World Economic Forum, is an industrial system that is regenerative by intention and design. It aims to close the gap between the manufacturing and natural ecosystems’ cycles. He said that TNPL has revived wastelands with 1,87,680 acres of pulpwood plantations. “Thus, we are enhancing paper production and expanding green cover.”