Gujarat Emerges as Copper Hub Amid Soaring Demand

Rising Trend

- SURYA SARATHI RAY

DESPITE HAVING LIMITED resources of copper ore, Gujarat has emerged as the country's copper production hub with large investments from Hindalco and Adani at Dahej and Mundra, respectively.

While Hindalco's Dahej unit started in 1998, Gujarat pipped Tamil Nadu to become the largest copper producer with Adani's Kutch facility starting operations in 2024. Hindalco's proposed smelter expansion at Dahej by 300,000 tonne per annum is going to entrench Gujarat's position.

Tamil Nadu's copper capacity plunged following the closure of Vedanta's Tuticorin smelter in 2018, which used to contribute 46% of the domestic production. JSW Group's 500,000 tonne per annum proposed greenfield smelter in Odisha is planned to be operational by FY29.