HYDERABAD: In an unprecedented development, the Nagarnar Steel Plant in Chhattisgarh has produced its final product — hot rolled (HR) coil — in just nine days of the production of hot metal, state-run iron ore miner NMDC Ltd on Thursday.
Terming the feat as astounding as the mining giant has no prior experience in steel making, NMDC Ltd acting chairman and managing director Amitava Mukherjee said with this the PSU now joins the coveted league of Indian steel makers.
“For over six decades we had been playing a pivotal role in the domestic steel market as a supplier of quality iron ore. With today’s development we emerge as the newest entrant in the domestic steel market and have put Bastar on the steel map,” Mukherjee said.
What makes the feat even more remarkable, NMDC said, is that it is quite rare to see the commissioning of three critical units in the hot zone – Blast Furnace, Steel Melting Shop and Mills (thin slab caster – hot strip mill) – in such a short period of time.
The 3 million tonne per annum capacity steel plant, which has been built at a cost of around Rs 24,000 crore, will be producing high grade HR steel to meet the requirements of several key consuming sectors.
While the plant will produce low carbon steel, high strength low alloy (HSLA) & dual phase steel and API quality steel that can be rolled in to thickness ranging from 1mm to 16 mm, the thin slab caster at Nagarnar is being touted as the widest mill in the public sector due to its capability to roll 1,650mm wide hot rolled steel.
“The HR coils, sheets and plates coming off India’s latest and most modern mill are expected to meet the growing demand for quality HR needed for the manufacture of LPG cylinders, bridges, steel structures, ships, large diameter pipes, storage tanks, boilers, railway wagons and pressure vessels. It is also required for manufacturing of tanks, railway cars, bicycle frames, engineering and military equipment and automobile and truck wheels, frames and body parts,” NMDC said.
The plant will also be producing special type of steels to be used in manufacture of generators, motors, transformers and automobiles at a later stage.
It was just on August 12 this year that NMDC had fired up India’s second largest blast furnace at the Nagarnar plant, which has the unique advantage of iron ore supply linkages with Bailadila miles that are located just 100 km away.
Terming the feat as astounding as the mining giant has no prior experience in steel making, NMDC Ltd acting chairman and managing director Amitava Mukherjee said with this the PSU now joins the coveted league of Indian steel makers.
“For over six decades we had been playing a pivotal role in the domestic steel market as a supplier of quality iron ore. With today’s development we emerge as the newest entrant in the domestic steel market and have put Bastar on the steel map,” Mukherjee said.
What makes the feat even more remarkable, NMDC said, is that it is quite rare to see the commissioning of three critical units in the hot zone – Blast Furnace, Steel Melting Shop and Mills (thin slab caster – hot strip mill) – in such a short period of time.
The 3 million tonne per annum capacity steel plant, which has been built at a cost of around Rs 24,000 crore, will be producing high grade HR steel to meet the requirements of several key consuming sectors.
While the plant will produce low carbon steel, high strength low alloy (HSLA) & dual phase steel and API quality steel that can be rolled in to thickness ranging from 1mm to 16 mm, the thin slab caster at Nagarnar is being touted as the widest mill in the public sector due to its capability to roll 1,650mm wide hot rolled steel.
“The HR coils, sheets and plates coming off India’s latest and most modern mill are expected to meet the growing demand for quality HR needed for the manufacture of LPG cylinders, bridges, steel structures, ships, large diameter pipes, storage tanks, boilers, railway wagons and pressure vessels. It is also required for manufacturing of tanks, railway cars, bicycle frames, engineering and military equipment and automobile and truck wheels, frames and body parts,” NMDC said.
The plant will also be producing special type of steels to be used in manufacture of generators, motors, transformers and automobiles at a later stage.
It was just on August 12 this year that NMDC had fired up India’s second largest blast furnace at the Nagarnar plant, which has the unique advantage of iron ore supply linkages with Bailadila miles that are located just 100 km away.