Now Reading: Kakinada Gateway Port to be commissioned by early 2027
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Kakinada Gateway Port to be commissioned by early 2027
The greenfield Kakinada Gateway Port, India's third on the Kakinada coast, is set to begin operations by early 2027. The 3.3-km breakwater is already complete, and the first of three berths, built…
The greenfield Kakinada Gateway Port, India's third on the Kakinada coast, is set to begin operations by early 2027. The 3.3-km breakwater is already complete, and the first of three berths, built at an estimated ₹2,620 crore by Kakinada Gateway Port Private Limited, a subsidiary of Auro Infra Private Limited, is expected to finish by late 2026, Managing Director Ram Reddy Ojili said.
The port will initially handle coal, granite, fertilisers, and aluminium, with a second phase adding a liquefied natural gas terminal. Connectivity is being lined up: a four-lane Bharat Mala highway through the port is on track for early 2027, and railway authorities have agreed to a 15-km track between Annavaram and Samarlakota, estimated at ₹400 crore. District officials are acquiring land for the rail link, Mr. Ram Reddy said. Legacy land issues in the Kakinada Special Economic Zone have been resolved, he added, with talks underway for major investments.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Kakinada already has two operational ports, Kakinada Port (managed by the Kakinada Seaports Limited) and Kakinada Deep Water Port, making this the third along that stretch of the Andhra coast. The KSEZ itself was notified in 2005 but has struggled for years with land disputes that slowed investment. Auro Infra Private Limited, the parent of the port developer, is a Hyderabad-based infrastructure firm with experience in roads and power projects, though this is its first major port venture. The ₹2,620-crore investment ranks among the larger private port projects in Andhra Pradesh, for context, the Krishnapatnam Port east of Nellore was developed at roughly ₹2,500 crore over a similar timeline. The next milestone to track is land acquisition for the Annavaram-Samarlakota railway link, without which the port's cargo evacuation plan remains incomplete.
Source: thehindu.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
