Odisha's Next Titan: The ₹21,500 Crore Bahuda Port Project

A new major port with a capacity of 150 million tonnes (MT) will be developed at Bahuda in Odisha’s Ganjam district, with an estimated investment of ₹21,500 crore.

The project is a collaborative effort between the Paradip Port Authority, Visakhapatnam Port Authority, Sagarmala Finance Corporation Ltd. (SFCL), and the Odisha government. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed on September 20 in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Once completed, Bahuda will become India’s 14th major port under Union government ownership.

Odisha is already home to the Union-operated Paradip Port and private ports at Dhamra and Gopalpur, operated by Adani Ports. Additional ports are under development by Tata Steel at Subarnarekha Mouth and Navayuga Engineering at Astaranga.

According to a state-conducted feasibility study, Bahuda Port will be capable of handling vessels between 40,000 and 1,50,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT), as well as container ships up to 6,000 TEUs. SFCL, an RBI-registered NBFC focused on maritime infrastructure financing, will support the project’s funding requirements.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.