Gujarat Ambuja Cements (GACL) is planning to set up a fly-ash based cement manufacturing unit at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh with an investment of Rs.100 crore. GACL would utilise the 3.5 lakh tonnes fly-ash generated by National Thermal Power Corporation.

For this purpose, GACL would set up a 12 lakh tpa cement manufacturing facility in the vicinity of NTPC's plant at Dadri.

The project would be implemented in phases. In first phase which is likely to start in October 2004 will have an initial capacity of six lakh tpa and would consume 1.8 lakh tonnes of fly-ash. By the end of second phase which is expected to be completed by December 2006, a total of 3.6 lakh tonnes of fly-ash would be used to run the plant at full capacity.

Once completed the cement major's total capacity would increase to 157 lakh tpa. At present the company has a capacity of 12.8 million tpa and along with its subsidiary Ambuja Cement Eastern its total capacity stands at 14.8 million tpa. It may be noted that GACL had recently added one million tonnes capacity at its Punjab unit.

GACL is targeting a capacity of 20 million tpa in next three years.

NTPC Dadri produces 14.6 lakh tpa fly-ash.