SAIl Chairman CS Verma witnessed the operationalisation of two new major modernisation units of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP).
They were new Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) Converter in Steel Melting Shop-II and rolling facilities in the New Plate Mill. He was accompanied by SS Mohanty, Director (Technical), TS Suresh, Director (Projects and Business Planning), GS Prasad, CEO, RSP and other senior officials.
With commencement of production in the new 150T BOF and 1.0 MTPA Plate Mill, all the major facilities under the modernisation and expansion programme at the RSP have been operationalised.
The entire integrated process route comprising the new Ore Bedding and Blending Plant, Sinter Plant, 7 m tall Coke Oven Battery, 4060 m3 Blast Furnace, 150T BOF, 2,500 mm Slab Caster and the new Plate Mill involving an investment of around Rs12,000 crore are operational at the RSP. The capacity of the plant has now increased from 2.0 mtpa hot metal and 1.9 mtpa crude steel to 4.5mtpa hot metal and 4.3 mtpa crude steel respectively.
On the occasion, Verma said, “The commencement of operation of the two major units at the RSP is a shot in the arm of the company towards completion of its ongoing modernisation and expansion plan. We have ambitious plans for RSP’s further expansion to 10.8 mtpa as part of SAIl’s vision to attain a capacity of 50 mtpa hot metal by 2025.”
Some of the schemes under this future expansion plan like the 3.0 Mtpa Hot Strip Mill and the Beneficiation and Pelletisation plant have already been tendered out. SAIl Chairman urged the Rourkela collective to quickly stabilise the new facilities and ramp up production to the rated capacities at the earliest.