ElectroSteel’s (ESl) green field project at Siyaljori in Bokaro district is facing a new hurdle of acute crisis of raw material and it is heading towards its closure. With an expenditure of Rs12,000 crore ESl’s green field project at Bokaro facing acquit crisis of iron ore (raw material) for its production of Hot metal since past 8 months as the Hement Soren-led Government, cancelled the iron ore mine lease of ESl in past, said Rohit Singh, PRO ESl Bokaro.
The Hemant Soren-led Government had issued closure notice to 12 iron ore mines of Tata Steel and Steel Authority of India, ESl along with five mines of Hindalco on September 8 last year.
“Now after Coal, ‘Steel’ is the back bone of Indian economy and this newly commissioned plant 2.51MT is about to closeonly due to crisis of raw material”, he added.
Amidst the hurdle, Director of ESl Bokaro RS Singh met the Chief Minister Raghubar Das with a new hope at Ranchi on Tuesday; he explained how ESl is striving to commission and operation of the unit.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das assured all help to the Electro Steel Plant (ESl). As a measure of his pro-industry attitude Das gave his nod to facilitate better coordination between the Government and industry.
CM also assured all kind of assistance to the industrial units for the development for the inclusive growth of the state, said Sing Director of ESl. Notably, ESl at Bokaro is 2.51 million tonne steel plant, designed and built by the Chinese steel major laiwu Steel Group limited (lSGl). This is the first green field project with the Chinese technology started it production in the end of 2011.
ESl’s this unit is based on Blast Furnace (BF)-Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF)-Billet Caster and Hot Rolling Route and will produce 1.2 MTPA of long steel products, comprising 0.5 MTPA of 5.5-12.0 mm diameter wire rods in coil form and 0.7 MTPA of reinforcement bars in straight lengths and bundled in the range of 8-32 mm and plain rounds up to 60 mm diameter.
The plant will have a 0.33 MTPA DI pipe production facility in the same complex and will be provided with hot metal from the blast furnaces. The plant will also have production facilities for 0.27 MTPA of commercial billets and 0.40 MTPA of pig iron.
After the commissioning the ESl pant at Bokaro enormous job opportunities (direct and indirect) explored their wings in the Chandankiyari block of the district bot the ore crisis pushed the unit on closer and their fates hangs in-balance.
Hampering productions at ESl estimates loss of Rs10 crore per day to the company, said an official sources of ESl. “But hurdle continues since from the commissioning of the Plant”, added the official.