The first phase of Adani’s new US$1.2Bn greenfield copper smelter-refinery - Kutch Copper Limited - commenced production last week at its plant in the port of Mundra, Gujarat, on the west coast of India.  

The first batch of cathodes has been delivered to customers. The 1Mtpy integrated project is being built in two phases of 0.5Mt. When fully completed in March 2029, the plant will be the world’s largest single location custom copper smelter. The company has engaged in long term supply agreements for mined copper concentrate but will also eventually process 10% of its raw material feedstock as copper and electronic scrap.  

Mr Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group said, “With Kutch Copper commencing its operations, the Adani portfolio of companies is not only entering the metals sector but also driving India’s leap towards a sustainable and self-reliant future. Our speed of execution in this ambitious, super-sized project underscores our commitment to take India to the forefront of the global copper sector”. The project will significantly reduce the nation’s reliance on imported copper cathodes and support its energy transition efforts. Indian copper demand is expected to be driven by a combination of renewable energy, electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and the development of power distribution networks to support urbanisation.

The integrated facility also includes a capacity of 0.25Mt for ETP copper wire rod. The company selected Continuus Properzi of Italy for its continuous casting line, which will be able to produce 38 tonnes per hour. A second casting line of the same capacity will be added in the second phase of the project. Kutch Copper is also working towards establishing Kutch Copper Tubes Limited as part of its forward integration strategy. It will manufacture tubes for domestic air conditioning and refrigeration applications following the government’s Production Linked Incentive scheme.

The opening of Kutch Copper comes at a time when Vedanta’s efforts to reopen its closed Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, copper smelter-refinery, through legal challenges in the Indian Supreme Court, appear increasingly frustrated. Domestic total copper consumption reached 1.5Mt in FY2023, up 16.1% from 1.3Mt in FY2022, according to Mayur Karmarkar, Managing Director of ICA India. 38% of consumption is met by the direct use of copper and copper alloy scrap. India is currently the world’s fastest growing national market for copper demand and is expected to continue to expand at a double-digit rate in FY2024.