Upcoming Paper Mill Projects in India: EPC & Supply Leads

Projects India tracks 187 upcoming paper and paper products projects across India as of October 2026, of which 134 are verified. Four projects were added to our database in the 90 days to October 2026, compared with one in the prior 90-day window. The combined recorded cost of projects with a stated value comes to about Rs 1.37 lakh crore, making this one of the more capital-intensive manufacturing pipelines in the industrial sector. Readers looking for paper and paper products projects in India will find the full, regularly updated list on our platform.

Upcoming paper mill projects in India: at a glance

Largest upcoming paper mill and pulp projects by investment

The table below lists the largest projects in our database by recorded cost. Together they account for a substantial share of the total pipeline value and span greenfield pulp complexes, integrated paper mills and capacity-expansion programmes.

Three headline observations stand out from this pipeline. First, the two APP-group projects in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra — totalling Rs 44,000 crore — are among the most capital-intensive industrial proposals in the country's paper sector and remain under approvals, meaning promoter outreach and pre-FEED work are still live opportunities. Second, ITC Limited is actively building at both Bhadrachalam and Kashipur simultaneously, putting its construction-stage spending above Rs 13,000 crore across just two sites. Third, Naini Papers Limited's Kashipur expansion is recorded as Construction Started with an expected completion of Dec 2026, signalling imminent commissioning activity for equipment installers and civil contractors already on site.

Where new paper mill projects are concentrated

As the chart below shows, Gujarat leads all states with 33 projects, followed by Karnataka (21), Uttar Pradesh (18), Maharashtra (17) and Andhra Pradesh (16).

For suppliers and EPC contractors, the geographic spread carries practical meaning. Gujarat's dominance reflects a long-established cluster of board and packaging paper mills, many of which are now in repeat-expansion mode — N R Agarwal Industries Limited alone carries five projects in our records. Maharashtra's 17 projects include the Rs 20,000 crore Asia Pulp & Paper greenfield at Raigarh, which, once approvals clear, will require civil, mechanical and electrical contracting at a scale rarely seen in Indian pulp manufacturing. Andhra Pradesh's 16 projects are driven partly by the APP India proposals at Prakasam and partly by ITC's continuing investments at Bhadrachalam.

Uttar Pradesh is notable because two large printing-and-writing paper projects — Hindustan Paper Corporation at Sultanpur and Jagdishpur Paper Mills — are both under approvals at Jagdishpur, creating a potential cluster for vendors who can position in the Purvanchal region early. Uttarakhand, with 14 projects, is anchored by ITC's Kashipur straw-board complex and Naini Papers' ongoing expansion, both in Udham Singh Nagar district. Readers tracking infrastructure build-out in Maharashtra will find that the paper sector adds another layer of industrial opportunity in the state's interior districts.

Project stages and what they mean for the market

The largest single stage in our database is Under Approvals, as the chart below shows, which means most capital has not yet been committed and procurement cycles have not opened.

With 91 projects under approvals and 15 in planning, over half the pipeline is still in pre-investment territory. This is the window in which EPC contractors and large equipment original equipment manufacturers typically establish relationships with project promoters, submit technical pre-qualifications and position for future bids. Construction Started projects — 43 in total — represent live, active procurement: civil works, process equipment, electrical and instrumentation, water treatment systems and utilities are all being sourced now on these sites. The three projects marked Nearly Completion are in final commissioning and punch-list phases, where spare-parts suppliers and operations-and-maintenance contractors become relevant.

The 25 projects on Hold deserve attention as well. Hold status can reflect land acquisition delays, financing gaps or regulatory clearances that are pending — not necessarily permanent cancellation. Vendors who monitor these projects can be first to respond when activity resumes. Our projects intelligence database flags stage changes in near real time, which is how many suppliers catch Hold-to-Construction transitions before a formal tender is issued.

Most active promoters in the paper sector

As the chart below shows, ITC Limited and West Coast Paper Mills Limited each carry six projects in our records, making them the most frequently appearing promoters in this scope by project count.

ITC's six projects carry a combined recorded cost of about Rs 16,470 crore — the highest absolute value of any single promoter in this pipeline. West Coast Paper Mills Limited has six projects with a combined recorded cost of about Rs 3,750 crore, indicating a series of smaller but consistent capacity additions rather than one large greenfield. N R Agarwal Industries Limited (five projects, about Rs 1,922 crore), Ruchira Papers Limited (four projects, about Rs 2,413 crore) and Emami Paper Mills Limited (four projects, about Rs 1,397 crore) round out the top tier of repeat investors. For B2B sales teams, a promoter with multiple projects across stages represents a sustained account relationship rather than a one-time transaction. Our contractor and supplier directory lists registered vendors already working with many of these groups.

Projects added to our database in the last 90 days

Four new paper-sector entries were recorded in the 90 days to October 2026, up from one in the prior period. Each represents a distinct opportunity type.

• Paper Plant, Garhshankar – Expansion (Kuantum Papers Limited, Hoshiarpur, Punjab, Rs 1,658 crore, Nearly Completion): This project is in its final stage, making it immediately relevant for commissioning services, spare-parts supply and maintenance contracts.
• Paper Manufacturing Unit, Vapi – Expansion (Shah Paper Mills Limited, Vapi, Gujarat, Rs 256 crore, Hold): A Gujarat-based expansion currently on hold; vendors should monitor for reactivation signals.
• Multilayer Board Mfg, Bharuch – New (N R Agarwal Industries Limited, Bharuch, Gujarat, cost not yet recorded, Under Approvals): A new greenfield board manufacturing project from one of the sector's most active promoters, at an early enough stage for pre-qualification outreach.
• Paper & Pulp Mill Unit, Mansa, Barnala – Expansion (Trident Group, Barnala, Punjab, Rs 440 crore, Under Approvals): Trident Group's Punjab expansion adds to the state's growing paper cluster; approvals are pending, so this is a pre-bid engagement window.

What this means for suppliers and contractors

The paper-sector pipeline presents different entry points depending on a company's product or service category.

• Civil and structural contractors should focus on the 43 Construction Started projects, particularly ITC's Bhadrachalam and Kashipur sites, Naini Papers at Kashipur and the broader Gujarat cluster. These sites are actively issuing work orders for civil packages.
• Process equipment suppliers — pulping systems, paper machines, refiners, coating systems, dryers — will find the Under Approvals cohort most valuable for early positioning. The APP India projects at Prakasam and Asia Pulp & Paper at Raigarh are large enough that equipment selection conversations typically start well before approvals are finalised.
• Electrical, instrumentation and automation vendors serve both Construction Started and Nearly Completion projects. Kuantum Papers at Garhshankar, recorded as Nearly Completion with an expected completion of Jan 2027, needs commissioning-phase electrical and controls work now.
• Water treatment and effluent management specialists are relevant across nearly every stage, as paper mills are water-intensive and increasingly subject to environmental clearance conditions tied to effluent treatment capacity.
• Raw material and chemical suppliers — bleaching chemicals, sizing agents, starch, coating pigments — become relevant at the Construction Started and Nearly Completion stages as mills begin trial runs and procurement of process consumables.
• EPC contractors seeking large integrated mandates should track the Planning and early Under Approvals projects in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, where no main contractor has yet been appointed. The J K Paper project at Surat and the Tamil Nadu Newsprint pulping unit at Tiruchchirappalli are both at stages where early engagement is possible.

Companies that sell into the broader industrial sector will find parallel opportunities by reviewing the industrial projects sector overview, which covers adjacent manufacturing investments that often share vendors, logistics corridors and utilities with paper mills.

How to track these projects

Projects India maintains a live database of all 187 upcoming paper and paper products projects described in this article, updated as approvals, stage changes and cost revisions are recorded. Each project entry includes promoter contact details, project stage, location coordinates, cost where disclosed and, where available, expected completion dates. Sales teams and EPC estimating teams can filter by state, stage, cost range and promoter to build a targeted prospect list. A free sample project report is available for teams evaluating the platform before committing. For companies that also respond to government tenders — packaging boards, newsprint, tissue — our live government tenders feed covers relevant procurement notices alongside private project leads.