Century Plyboards India-promoted Star Cement's two-million-tonne greenfield cement plant in West Bengal is ready and commercial production will begin soon, a top company official said on Sunday. The Rs 450 crore grinding unit has been set up in Jalpaiguri district in north Bengal.

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"The project is undergoing trials and can begin production anytime soon. This is our first greenfield cement project in West Bengal though we have plyboard manufacturing through Century Plyboards," Star Cement Managing Director

Sanjay Agarwal told PTI.

"We will invite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to inaugurate the project. We received all-round support from the state government and the project was executed smoothly," he said.

The state government has provided nine acres of the around 45 acres of land on which the plant is built. Star Cement currently has a manufacturing capacity of 4.3 million tonne, which would go up to 6.3 million tonne after production begins at the new facility. The company has a clinker capacity of 2.8 million tonne and 51 mw of captive power.

The company will source clinkers from its integrated cement plant in Meghalaya that has mines nearby. Fly ash will be procured from West Bengal or Bihar.

Star Cement is a major cement player in the Northeastern states and with the new greenfield plant in Jalpaiguri, the company is eyeing the north Bengal market, besides Bihar.

The company has been producing some cement in Siliguri by way of lease a grinding unit, which will be discontinued in January-end, Agarwal said.

Amid the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Agarwal said he was optimistic about the long-term prospects of the cement market in eastern India, which is at 20-25 million tonne and expected to grow by 8-9 percent.

(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)