ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AM/NS) India has confirmed a proposed investment of Rs 1,000 crore towards the brownfield expansion of its pellet plant in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP). This investment follows a recent announcement by ArcelorMittal, a parent company of AM/NS India, to develop a ‘round the clock’ renewable energy project with 975 MW of nominal capacity, also in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

The project, involving more than Rs 4,600 crore, will combine solar and wind power and be supported by Greenko’s hydro pumped storage project, which helps overcome the intermittent nature of wind and solar power generation. Round, The Clock power of 250MW, will result in over 20 percent of the electricity requirement at AM/NS India’s Hazira plant coming from renewable sources, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 1.5 million tonnes per year, it said in a statement.

The planned expansion will increase pellet production capacity at Vizag by 35 per cent, from 8 MTPA to 11 MTPA. AM/NS India’s Vizag pellet plant is already connected to a slurry pipeline in Chhattisgarh, which ensures clean and efficient transportation of raw materials required for pelletization from source to plant. AM/NS India intends to complete the expansion project in 2023, subject to environmental clearance in the coming months.