India: Dalmia Bharat, through its subsidiaries, has announced a strategic investment of approximately US$397m in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The company will set up a 3.6Mt/yr clinker unit and a 3Mt/yr grinding unit at its existing Belgaum plant in Karnataka, alongside a new greenfield split grinding unit of 3Mt/yr in Pune, Maharashtra. The projects, funded through a mix of debt and internal accruals, are expected to be commissioned by the fourth quarter of the 2027 financial year. Following completion, and factoring in ongoing 2.9Mt/yr expansions in Assam and Bihar, Dalmia Bharat’s installed capacity will rise to 55.5Mt/yr.

The Belgaum expansion will strengthen supply in southern Maharashtra and deepen the company’s reach in Karnataka, while the Pune plant will focus on the untapped western Maharashtra markets.

Puneet Dalmia, managing director and CEO of Dalmia Bharat, said “This investment is a significant step in our Phase II expansion strategy, bringing us closer to strengthening our position as a pan-India player and to reach our intermittent goal of 75Mt/yr capacity by the 2028 financial year. The increase in our production capacity is primarily to meet the growing infrastructure demand in Western India.”