JSW Infra wins bid to develop 30 MTPA port in Karnataka for ₹4,119 crore
₹4,119 crore, will be an all-weather, greenfield, multi-cargo, direct berthing, deep-water facility. JSW Infra will also operate the project for a period of 30 years. "Once the concession agreement is signed, we will start working to develop the Keni Port as an integral part of the state’s maritime infrastructure and trade gateway," said Arun Maheshwari, joint managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of JSW Infrastructure in a company statement.
The project was awarded by the Karnataka Maritime Board. The port is expected to crucially address the rising import and export trade momentum of the region. JSW Infra will pay royalty on per metric tonne of cargo loaded to the Karnataka Maritime Board, and the concession period would be for 30 years from the date of appointment, with further extension clause subject to the fulfillment of the terms and conditions, the statement added.
Along with JSW Infra, Adani Ports had also bid for the project. Navayuga Engineering and Vishwa Samudra were the other two bidders. JSW Infrastructure is a part of the JSW Group, and is the second largest commercial port operator in India in terms of cargo handling capacity in FY23.
As per the Karnataka Maritime Perspective Plan, the state has a hinterland potential of 44 MTPA of cargo which is is expected to increase to 117 MTPA by 2035. “The proposed Keni Port…is envisaged as a…commercial port for handling all cargo types on the west coast in the North Karnataka region to serve the industries in the area covering Bellary, Hosapete, Hubballi, Kalaburagi, and South Maharashtra," the company added. It is located strategically between two operational major ports and is a hinterland primarily of coal and coke cargo which is being utilized
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