Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ) inaugurated the world’s first road constructed with steel slag inside a port on Saturday. Built within Hazira Port in Gujarat, the 1.1 kilometre stretch marks a significant milestone in India’s green development journey and is the first of its kind in any private port globally.
The newly developed road connects the Multi-Purpose Berth (MPB-1) to the coal yard at Hazira and is constructed using processed steel slag—an industrial by-product generated during steel production, the company said.
This initiative places both India and APSEZ at the forefront of sustainable maritime infrastructure, offering a real-world example of how circular economy principles can be applied to port logistics, the conglomerate noted.
Developed under Phase-II of the Bulk & General Cargo Terminal (BGCT) expansion, the project was executed in collaboration with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) and the Union Ministry of Science & Technology. The road’s flexible pavement design, developed by CSIR-CRRI, not only increases its load-bearing capacity but also improves durability, while reducing construction costs and environmental footprint.
“The initiative aligns with the Waste to Wealth mission and reinforces APSEZ’s commitment to environmentally conscious port development,” the firm said.
The road was officially inaugurated by Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Member (Science & Technology), NITI Aayog, in the presence of N Kalaiselvi, Director-General of CSIR and Secretary, DSIR, and Manoranjan Parida, Director, CSIR-CRRI and President, Indian Roads Congress. Also present were Satish Pandey, Senior Principal Scientist and originator of steel slag road technology, Anand Marathe, COO of Adani Hazira Port Ltd., and other senior officials and scientists.
This marks the third steel slag road built in India, but the first ever within a port setting anywhere in the world.
“With this initiative, APSEZ continues to lead the transformation of India’s logistics sector, blending innovation, industrial ecology, and infrastructure resilience in service of national growth,” the company stated.
