JSW Infra Sets Sights On Gujarat, Plans Greenfield Port Investment

JSW Infrastructure, the ports unit of the Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group, is gearing up to venture into Gujarat where it has no presence currently, with plans to invest in a greenfield port.

During an analyst conference hosted by Kotak Institutional Equities, JSW Infrastructure management outlined greenfield investment as one of its focus areas, along with brownfield investments through which it plans to acquire specific terminals in major ports.

With a coastline stretching 1,600 km, Gujarat boasts the longest coastline in India. The state hosts one major port, Deendayal (Kandla), situated in the Gulf of Kutch, which falls under the administrative control of the Ministry of Shipping.

Additionally, the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), a nodal agency and port sector regulator in the State, is responsible for the management, control and administration of 48 ports, including Bedi, Bhavnagar, Dahej and Porbandar.

However, the state's port infrastructure is dominated by the Mundra Port operated by the Adani Group. From barren land a quarter century ago, the port is today India’s largest commercial port. Presently, the port handles over 155 million metric tonnes (MT) of cargo, constituting nearly 11 per cent of India's maritime cargo.

The strategy to enter Gujarat's flourishing port sector aligns well with the state's robust infrastructure and impressive manufacturing growth.

JSW Infrastructure presently oversees a network of 10 ports and terminals across India, along with one terminal in the UAE, boasting a combined operational capacity of 170 million tonnes per annum.

As the second largest private port operator in India, JSW Infrastructure manages four ports — Jaigarh, Dharamtar, South West, and PNP alongside five terminals to handle coal, iron ore, containerised and bulk cargo. It also operates two dry bulk terminals in Fujairah and Dibba in UAE.

Additionally, it is constructing an all weather deep water greenfield port at Keni in Karnataka and investing around Rs 2000 crore to set up Jatadhar Port in Odisha.