Overview
- The state government and JSW formally launched construction work at Sunnapurallapalli and Peddadanluru in Kadapa on Friday, July 3, 2026, marking physical site activity such as heavy‑section mill concrete flooring.
- JSW will build the project in two phases on about 1,100 acres with a total planned investment of Rs 16,350 crore split into a Rs 4,500 crore Phase I and an Rs 11,850 crore Phase II to reach 2 million tonnes per year capacity.
- The plant will use scrap‑fed Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) technology with renewable energy inputs to cut carbon intensity and may source high‑grade direct reduced iron as a complement to recycled scrap.
- The government has committed tailored incentives of up to 50% of fixed capital cost plus external works including a 400 kV power line, 2 tmc ft annual water, 12 km road link to NH‑67 and a proposed 12 km rail siding, while company and state statements set machinery erection by November 2028 but differ on commercial‑start targets.
- Officials and JSW say the project will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs and spur local industry, but political leaders dispute credit for preparatory approvals after earlier stone‑laying events in 2019 and 2023 failed to progress the scheme.