Steel minister announces major capacity push at SAIL’s Rourkela plant

Union Steel Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday announced that the capacity of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of Steel Authority of India Ltd will be expanded to 9.8 million tonnes per annum.

Kumaraswamy, who visited the plant on Tuesday, inaugurated a modern steelmaking facility at RSP and highlighted the project’s role in the region’s socio-economic development. In a statement issued today, he confirmed the plan to double the plant’s capacity.

During the visit, he also inaugurated the 1 MTPA slab caster built with a capital expenditure of about 1,100 crore, and reviewed progress at the coke oven battery and the new pellet plant under construction.

Kumaraswamy said, “Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi has also assured full support to achieve PM Modi’s 300 MT steel capacity Vision”.

The expansion is aimed at increasing supplies to key sectors including defence, oil and gas, and automobiles.

Located around 320 km from Bhubaneswar, RSP in Rourkela was established in the 1950s with German collaboration as India’s first public sector steel plant, with an initial capacity of 1 MT. It became operational on 3 February 1959 when the then President Rajendra Prasad lit the first blast furnace Parvati.

SAIL’s current total steelmaking capacity stands at 20.30 MTPA, with RSP contributing 4.4 MTPA.