JSW Infrastructure, a commercial port company part of $23 billion JSW Group, has emerged as the winning bidder for development of all-weather, deep-water, greenfield port at Keni in Karnataka on Public Private Partnership basis, the company said on Thursday.
The Karnataka Maritime Board, Government of Karnataka, has issued the Letter of Award (LOA) to JSW Infrastructure. As per the RFP document, the estimated cost of the project is ₹4,119 crore with initial capacity of 30 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).
Arun Maheshwari, Joint MD and CEO of JSW Infrastructure, said: “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.”
The proposed Keni Port would have modern environment-friendly mechanised facilities for handling cape-size vessels (large vessels that can’t pass through Panama Canal and have to sail around Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn). It is envisaged as an all-weather, greenfield, multi-cargo, direct berthing, deep-water commercial port for handling all types of cargo on the west coast in North Karnataka region to serve the industries in the area covering Ballari, Hospete, Hubballi, Kalaburagi, and South Maharashtra, according to a statement from JSW Infrastructure.
Interestingly, Keni Port would be located strategically between two operational major ports viz. Mormugao Port in the north and New Mangalore Port in the south. The proposed port’s hinterland is primarily of coal and coke cargo, which is being utilised for steel, cement, and power plants. It is also further supported by Iron ore, limestone, dolomite handlings, and export of finished steel products. Rail connectivity to the Keni Port site is proposed to be in the southern side and will be connected with the existing Konkan line to north of the Ankola Station, as per the company.
Once developed, the Keni port was expected to crucially address the rising import and export trade momentum of the region, Maheshwari added. The proposed railway alignment would be developed with a total length of eight kilo meters. The proposed port shall be well connected with Road and Railway Connectivity.
As per the Karnataka Maritime Perspective Plan, Karnataka is currently having hinterland potential of 44 MTPA of cargo and the same is expected to increase to 117 MTPA by 2035.
