Adani Group signs MoU with South Korean steelmaker POSCO to set up an integrated steel mill

Indian conglomerate Adani Group will be joining hands with the Korean steel company, Posco to develop and establish an integrated steel mill in Mundra, Gujarat with a planned investment of $5 billion (approx. Rs 37,000 crore)
“We are very pleased to announce the partnership with POSCO, the world’s most efficient and advanced steel manufacturer, in steel production and carbon reduction,” said Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group in a media statement on Thursday.

The non-binding MoU signed between POSCO and Adani intends to further collaborate at the group business level in various industries such as renewable energy, hydrogen, and logistics in response to carbon reduction requirements, the company’s statement said.

Both parties are examining various options to cooperate and leverage the technical, financial, and operational strengths of each company.

The collaboration includes evaluating a joint Integrated Steel Mill at Mundra, Gujarat, based on POSCO’s technology and R&D capability.

“POSCO and Adani intend to utilize renewable energy resources and green hydrogen, in line with both partners’ ESG commitments to sustainability and energy efficiency,” the company’s statement said.

POSCO runs POSCO-Maharashtra, a 1.8-million-ton cold-rolled and galvanized mill and four processing centres in Pune, Delhi, Chennai and Ahmedabad.

“This cooperation will be a good and sustainable business cooperation model between India and South Korea,” said Jeong-woo, Choi, the CEO of Posco.

Posco’s $12 billion steel project in Odisha was scrapped five years ago, over legal delays and local opposition. The company was keen to set up a greenfield plant in India, as it communicated its interest to set up a steel plant on Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) land in Visakhapatnam and a non-binding MoU was signed between POSCO and RINL in October 2019

Adani Group has recently announced an investment plan to become the world’s largest renewable energy company and produce green hydrogen in the future.

The company also announced its entry into the copper business by incorporating a wholly-owned subsidiary, Kutch Copper Limited (KCL).