The ferro-alloys unit of Sarda Metals & Alloys Ltd at Kantakapalli village in the Kothavalasa mandal of Vizianagaram district, 35 km from here, was hit hard by cyclone Hudhud a month ago, sustaining a total loss of Rs 25 crores or so, but it has got back into stride and resumed full production.
The unit has also a captive thermal power plant of 80 MWs which has also resumed full-scale power generation and is now supplying the additional power of 30 MWs or so to the state grid.
Neeraj Sarda, Director of Sarda Metals & Alloys Ltd., said that within a day of power supply for start-up operation from Pendurthy sub-station, the captive power plant resumed power generation.
He said, "We have been successful in reviving production of silicon manganese for export market and ferro manganese for various steel plants in India."
He said the SMAL, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Raipur-based Sarda Energy & Minerals Ltd (SEML), a listed company known for low-cost production of ferro alloys, iron, billets, ingots and TMT bars, had completed the first phase of its project in the Vizianagaram district with an investment of Rs 730 crore.
He said the company had acquired 280.96 acres from the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation for the plant. At present, the plant is generating 80 MWs of power and producing 1.25 lakh to 1.5 lakh tonnes of silicon manganese and ferro manganese per annum.
It also has plans to expand its capacity and set up two more power generation units each with a capacity of 80 MW apiece. Now, the company has two 33 MVA furnaces in the ferro-alloys plant.
He said, “The coal shed, casting and insulation at our plant suffered heavy damage. In fact, we have to build the coal shed afresh at a cost of Rs 10 crore or so as it suffered extensive damage in the heavy gales."
The coal shed with a height of 40 metre, storage capacity of 32,000 tonne and built with 500 tonne of steel, will take one and half years for reconstruction. The damaged one was built with a China firm’s collaboration.
Sarda said the devastated shed had the ability to withstand a wind speed of 200 km per hour. Now it is proposed to design a new one to absorb wind speeds of 300 km per hour.
He said the expansion plans would take some more time.