New Delhi: Gujarat Ambuja Cements Limited (GACL) has announced that it has added one million tonnes of fresh capacity at its production facility in Ropar, Punjab. The company has commenced operations at a new unit in its fly ash-based cement grinding plant in Ropar, which will now have a 2.5 million-tonne production capacity every year. The new unit was inaugurated by Amarinder Singh, chief minister of Punjab.

Once the captive power plant is operational, GACL will have invested Rs 200 crore in this expansion. Of this, investments worth approximately Rs130 crore have already been undertaken. With this round of capacity expansion, aimed at strengthening GACL''s presence in the North Indian market, the company''s total production capacity now stands at 14.5 million tonnes per annum.

Commenting on the occasion, Suresh Neotia, chairman, GACL, said, "The market conditions are good. With interest rates remaining soft and the government''s commitment to infrastructure development both in urban and rural areas, we feel the demand for cement will go up. We hope to service the additional demand in North Indian markets through the augmented capacity."

Speaking at the inauguration, the Amarinder Singh said, "The government is committed to furthering industrial development in the state. We will be taking all necessary steps including infrastructure development to attract investments in the state which will create economic opportunities for all." He lauded GACL''s efforts in the area of environment conservation and its contribution in bringing a large number of direct and indirect job opportunities.

The biggest beneficiaries of this expansion are the environment and the agriculturists of Punjab. With the new unit, GACL''s Ropar plant will utilise 8 lakh tonnes of fly ash annually. Neotia added, "With this, Ropar Thermal Power Plant will become the first to implement 100 per cent utilisation of fly ash. We salute the Punjab government and Punjab State Electricity Board for encouraging the use of fly ash and are proud to be a part of this success story."