Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], September 9 : Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) expanded its east coast footprint after emerging as the highest bidder for two dry bulk berths at Paradip port in Odisha, adding 18 million metric tonnes (MMT) of operational capacity.
The company received the Letter of Award (LoA) to develop and operate the CQ-I and CQ-II berths under a 30-year concession period, according to an Adani press release.
The project operates under a Public-Private Partnership model. The addition of the 18 MMT mechanised dry bulk capacity increases APSEZ’s total portfolio from 653 MMT to 671 MMTPA, supporting its stated goal of handling 1 billion tonnes of cargo throughput by 2030.
The facility establishes an entry for the operator into Paradip, India's second-largest major port and a key gateway for dry bulk cargo on the eastern seaboard. It links with APSEZ’s existing 140 MMT capacity across other regional facilities, including Haldia, Dhamra, Gopalpur, and Gangavaram ports.
"The Paradip concession will strengthen APSEZ’s presence on the East Coast and expand our access to one of India's most important industrial and mineral-rich hinterlands," Ashwani Gupta, Whole-time Director and CEO of APSEZ, stated.
"With Paradip, APSEZ's network grows to 16 ports and terminals across India's 11,000-km coastline, strengthening our ability to deliver integrated port, logistics and marine solutions through the country's most comprehensive transport infrastructure platform," he added.
Development plans outlined by the company include deep-draft berths, large-scale storage infrastructure, and mechanised cargo handling systems. The terminal is positioned to handle dry bulk commodities including coal and limestone, catering directly to industrial manufacturing clusters and steel plants in eastern and central India.
This capacity addition addresses high utilisation across India's East Coast ports amid growing cargo demand. Supported by hinterland steel expansions and government push for domestic coal, the project eases regional capacity bottlenecks to drive industrial growth.