SAIL is aiming to raise the production capacity to 23 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) by September 2015 and to 50 MTPA by 2025, according to Narendra Singh Tomar, minister of steel & mines. He was speaking at a function in which PM Narendra Modi dedicated modernised and expanded 4.5 MTPA Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of Odisha to the nation on April 1, 2015.

Tomar added, “Besides increasing India’s steel capacity to 300 MT, we are also trying to create a pride of place for Indian steel in the global market. For this, we are laying special emphasis on research & development work, and on ensuring availability of raw materials. By bringing in the MMDR Amendment Act 2015, we have brought in greater transparency and ease in the mining sector, which will attract investment, and will transform the standard of living of mines affected peoples and places.”

SAIL invested Rs 12,000 crore for modernisation and expansion work at RSP, which has resulted in capacity augmentation from 2 mtpa of hot metal to 4.5 MTPA. Carried out on a mammoth scale, the modernisation aims to enhance the quality of products, decrease energy consumption and improve environmental performance. RSP has one of the largest blast furnaces in the country with a useful volume of 4060 cubic meter. Named ‘Durga’, the blast furnace has an annual capacity of 2.8 MTPA. The modernisation and expansion of RSP is part of SAIL’s overall strategy to raise capacity from 13.8 mtpa to 23.46 mtpa. The entire package is being carried out with an investment of Rs 72,134 crore in SAIL’s plants at Bokaro, Bhilai, Durgapur, Burnpur and Salem.

business-standard.com