A First-of-its-Kind Leap at India’s Largest Greenfield Copper Refinery
Kutch Copper, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited, has been setting up one of India’s largest integrated greenfield copper refineries. With an ambitious investment of $1.2 billion investment, this mega facility at Mundra is set to become the world’s largest single-location custom copper smelter.
But building for scale wasn't the only challenge, it had to perform at global standards, resist harsh chemicals, and power India’s push for green infrastructure. So, the engineering team was looking for a solution that could power their cathode manufacturing process without the typical material setbacks like corrosion, wear, or chemical instability associated with carbon steel or coated mild steel.
The Challenge: First-Time Choices, High-Stakes Expectations
As a first-time implementation for key process components, the stakes were high. Traditional materials such as carbon steel or coated mild steel were quickly ruled out due to their known issues such as frequent failure, high replacement rates, & inability to withstand the aggressive chemical environments of copper refining.
The Stainless Steel Breakthrough: A Specialised Grade of 316L from JSL
Jindal Stainless offered a custom-engineered variant of 316L stainless steel, designed for high chloride environments and mechanical load bearing capacity. This material ensured:
How SS 316L is used as a cathode
316L stainless steel is fabricated into flat, smooth plates that act as reusable cathodes.
The Power of Collaboration: A Smarter, Stronger Solution
Our team of expert engineers worked closely with Kutch Copper’s project teams to:
The Result: Built to Compete Globally, Sourced Locally
After implementing our stainless steel solution, the client reported:
While this switch has set a new materials benchmark for India’s copper sector, it has also proved that thoughtful material engineering can bring both performance and profitability to the table.
A Future-Facing Partnership
Kutch Copper’s team expressed strong satisfaction with the results and the collaboration experience. They’ve shown interest in exploring further stainless applications across upcoming plant phases, cementing the role of stainless steel as not just a substitute, but a strategic material of choice.
