Mumbai, July 3 -- JSW Steel Ltd has broken ground on a new steel plant in Andhra Pradesh, launching a Rs.16,350-crore investment that the company says will expand domestic steelmaking capacity while advancing its push into lower-carbon production.

The project, in the Rayalaseema region, will be built in two phases. The first will establish a 1 million tonne per annum (mtpa) integrated steel plant at a cost of Rs.4,500 crore. A second phase, involving an investment of up to Rs.11,850 crore, will double capacity to 2 mtpa, taking the total investment to Rs.16,350 crore, India's largest steelmaker said in a statement on Friday.

"India is entering a significant phase of manufacturing and infrastructure expansion, and Andhra Pradesh is at th...