Bangalore, July 8: The much-publicised strategic alliance between ACC Ltd and Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd has proved to be a damp squib and the state-owned power-generating company has started scouting for joint venture partners for the supply of fly-ash generated by its Raichur Thermal Power Station.

According to company officials, KPCL is looking at three cement companies for a possible venture as ACC, reportedly, has put on hold its Rs 600-crore expansion project at the Wadi plant.

``ACC has not yet started collecting fly-ash from our plant for producing cement. First of all, they have to put up a collection facility close to our power unit. We have planned to meet the ACC people shorlty in their Mumbai office before taking a decision on this,'' sources added.

``Though the company can make use of fly-ash at its existing facility itself, ACC has not come forward to collect the material. KPCL will resume talks with three cement companies located near Raichur. The cement companies include Rajashree Cements and Bagalkot Cements,'' a KPCL official said. ``In keeping with our increased capacity, we have to identify a few more cement manufacturing firms to cash in on the fly-ash generated here,'' sources added.

It is estimated that the power plants in India generate about 60 mt fly-ash per annum. Being a hazardous material, usage of fly-ash would save the country's land and water from environmental degradation. When contacted at the Mumbai office, senior officials of ACC refused to comment on the issue.

However, officials from its Bangalore office said that as far as the Wadi expansion project is concerned, no decision has been taken yet. ``The use of fly-ash for manufacture of pozzolana cement gives certain special properties to the cement and it enhances its quality as a building material. To manufacture cement in an environmentally beneficial manner, the company has to use fly-ash,'' according to sources.

After signing the agreement for the proposed venture here on January 10, 1997, ACC had said that the company's Wadi plant would be producing fly-ash-based cement by using close to 3 lt of fly-ash generated from RTPS. At present, almost 60 per cent of the entire cement production of ACC is by way of blended cement as against about 30 per cent produced by the industry.ACC had also drawn up ambitious plans to expand the manufacturing capacity of the Wadi plant from the existing 2 mt by another 4 mt in a phased manner. On completion of this, Wadi will have a modern cement plant with a 6-mt capacity, making it the largest cement plant in the country.

ACC, the largest cement manufacturing company in the country, produces over 3.5 mt pozzolana cement by utilising fly-ash from thermal plants all over the country.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.