India- Neelachal Ispat Churns Out Record Hot Metal Output

Steel PSU Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd (NINL) has added a remarkable feat to its operating parameters by recording its highest ever hot metal production on a single day. NINL produced 3,001 tonnes of hot metal on May 13.

NINL with its steel plant operations at Kalinga Nagar in the eastern state of Odisha, is touching new highs after completing its recent blast furnace capital repair work. S S Mohanty, vice chairman & managing director at NINL, congratulated the team for achieving the record feat. NINL aims to sustain its record production levels in the days to come. Efforts are underway to benchmark the NINL plant with the best in the world.

NINL has immediate plans to resume steel billet production with maximum capacity utilization of the Steel Melting Shop (SMS). The public sector steel maker has lined up several activities in this financial year to strengthen its bottom-line which includes steel billet production, operation of its captive mines and many cost optimization schemes. This will be important landmarks for the turnaround of the integrated steel plant at Kalinga Nagar.

The revival of NINL's plant operations is also bound to spell relief for the pig iron market. Historically, NINL has been one of the largest producers and exporters of the intermediate product. Other products in NINL's portfolio are steel billets, LAM (low ash metallurgical) coke, nut coke, coke breeze, crude tar, ammonium sulphate and granulated slag.

Also, with the completion of blast furnace capital repair, operationalisation of the 110 million tonne captive mines and full capacity utilization of the steel melting shop (SMS), NINL will have a potential future of becoming one of the leading producers of steel in the state. Apart from MMTC which owns 49.78 per cent equity in NINL, two Odisha government PSUs- Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) and Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (Ipicol) have stakes in the steel project.

Apart from MMTC which owns 49.78 per cent equity in NINL, two Odisha government controlled PSUs- Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) and Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (Ipicol) have stakes in the steel project.