Bhubaneswar: Tata Steel on Tuesday reaffirmed its long-term commitment to be a significant partner in Odisha’s growth story by showcasing its investments and outcomes at Utkarsh Odisha 2025 Conclave in Bhubaneswar.
The steel giant has set up a dedicated pavilion, showcasing its pioneering efforts in innovation, sustainability, and socio-economic development. The pavilion highlights its initiatives in advanced manufacturing, infrastructure development for green industries at Gopalpur Industrial Park, features and expansion plans for Subarnarekha port, and the company’s contributions to the ‘Make in India’ vision.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is also showcasing its story in the pavilion.
“Tata Steel’s relationship with Odisha is 100 years old. We have been here since before the formation of the state. Earlier, we were in the mining sector, and in the last 10 years, there has been an investment of Rs 100,000 crore in the state. In the coming days also we will continue to invest and grow in Odisha…Now, if you see all the states are competing with each other for investment. Having such investments is good as you get to talk about your experience and also get more investors to the state. The Eastern region states are rich in minerals but somehow the development has been behind its potential. If you look now, over the last two decades many states in the Eastern region many states have started to do better. We will expand the steel plants at Neelachal, Kalinga Nagar and Bhushan Nagar, contributing to our 11 million tonnes capacity in the state. We expect to add another 10 million tonnes over the next decade. Odisha’s geological richness, large coastline, committed workforce, and ever-supportive government have made the state Tata Steel’s largest investment destination in India,” said Tata Steel CEO and Managing Director T V Narendran.
Tata Steel’s participation in the mega event comes at a time when the company is pushing ahead with its Phase II of expansion at its Kalinganagar operations. The Kalinganagar plant in Jajpur district, commissioned in 2015-16 with an initial capacity of 3 MTPA, is undergoing a Rs 27,000 crore expansion to increase capacity to 8 MTPA. This expansion, expected to generate 8,000 jobs, will enable Tata Steel to manufacture high-quality Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) for the Indian automotive market, significantly reducing the nation’s reliance on imports.
Tata Steel’s recent investments in Odisha also include the acquisition and restarting of Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL) plant in 2022. Further, the Meramandali plant in Dhenkanal district, acquired in 2018, is also a significant asset in the company’s manufacturing portfolio. Formerly Bhushan Steel, this facility currently produces 5.6 MTPA. Tata Steel is currently working on the next phase of expansion at its Kalinganagar plant, Meramandali plant, and NINL unit.
Tata Steel’s Industrial Park at Gopalpur, Ganjam, is making strides in onboarding new industries. The park has attracted investments worth Rs 32,000 crore, majorly in the renewable sector including green hydrogen and solar cell & module manufacturing. Tata Steel’s Ore, Mines & Quarries (OMQ) Division continues to drive innovation and sustainability in mining.
Besides these initiatives, Tata Steel Foundation has undertaken numerous initiatives across 27 of Odisha’s 30 districts, focusing on education, healthcare, and livelihood development. These programmes have positively impacted 2.38 million lives in surrounding areas in FY24 alone. The company also supports sports development, including its Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar and grassroots programmes reaching over 9,100 children and youth. Together with the Tata Archery Academy and Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, Tata Steel provides high-performance sports training across multiple disciplines, a company release said.
