NMDC ltd will be generating about 70 MW of captive power using gases from steel making processes in the upcoming 3 MTPA Nagarnar steel plant in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.
The power would be generated from gases released from from blast furnace, coke oven and 'lD gases'.
The total power requirement of the steel plant would be around 420 MW in which the mines, pellet plant and the slurry pumping system would require around 120 MW of power, officials stated.
The remaining 350 MW power would be conventional in nature which would be fulfilled by the captive power plant and the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company ltd (CSPDCl).
Notably, the electrification work for movement of trains have begun at the Railway siding site coming up at NMDC ltd’s proposed 3.0 MTPA Integrated Steel Plant (ISP) at Nagarnar in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, officials stated.
The company is expecting commercial production of its 3 MTPA capacity proposed steel plant in Chhattisgarh to commence by the middle of 2017. The plant is expected to be ready by December 2016 and trial of same will start by December 2016.
The Union Steel & Mines Ministry has plans of doubling installed capacity of NMDC ltd’s proposed 3 MTPA integrated steel plant coming up at Nagarnar in Bastar district in Chhattisgarh in due course once the plant is commissioned.
In order to increase the domestic capacity of steel production, a concept of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) has been introduced, officials stated.
Two MoUs have already been signed by the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand for setting up Greenfield steel plants with initial capacity of 3 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) each, to be later enhanced to 6 MTPA. More than Rs 70,000 crore will be invested for setting up of these steel plants.
Notably, India was the only country among the major steel producing nations of the world which recorded a positive trend in steel production and consumption in 2015, officials stated.
The first 11 months of 2015, steel production vis a vis 2014, India showed a growth of 2.8 %, and world steel production registered decrease of 2.8 %. India’s steel production capacity has increased by 6 % in 2015 and consumption has increased by around 5 %.
Notably, the work for setting up 'power plant distribution system' for NMDC's proposed 3 MTPA steel plant of the company has also started gathering pace at Nagarnar.
The work for High and low Tension Power and control cable laying and termination besides other identified works would also soon commence at the site, officials stated.
The company has also commenced the process of setting up 2 MTPA Pellet Plant at Nagarnar in Bastar division of Chhattisgarh.
The Site levelling works for the Pellet Plant as Nagarnar will soon be taken up, officials informed.
Notably, a marathon ‘Slurry Pipeline Transportation System’ has been proposed for transportation of Pellet Feed Concentrate from Bailadila to Vizag via Jagdalpur along National and State Highways with a provision of partial off-take at NMDC ltd’s proposed steel plant coming up at Nagarnar.
The concentrate is intended for making pellets required for feeding to NMDC's Steel Plant at Nagarnar, officials stated.
For part of this project, investment proposals involving 2 MTPA Ore Processing Plant at Bacheli, 15 MTPA Slurry Pipeline system from Bacheli to Nagarnar and 2 MTPA Pellet Plant at Nagarnar has been approved by the NMDC Board of Directors, they stated.
Other pre-project activities such as detailed route survey, Environmental clearance, Forest clearance crossing permission from Railways and National Highway Authorities, MoU with Chhattisgarh Government for sanction of utilities (Water and Electrical power) have also been taken up and are in progress, officials stated.
It may be recalled that NMDC has already commenced the process of building necessary infrastructure for its proposed 3.0 MTPA steel plant coming up at Nagarnar.