NMDC commences 2nd coke oven battery operation at Nagarnar steel plant

The operation of coke oven battery No. 2 (COB2#) started today at the Nagarnar Integrated Steel Plant (NISP). Some of the ovens for the second battery were charged with coal and pushing will be done after the coking period gets completed.

As of now, COB#2 will be charged in cyclic manner, first 16 ovens will be charged and then its goes continously like this for all 67 ovens. The pushing for the first oven done tomorrow at noon time by M/s Bhilai Engineering corporation limited which is also the EPC contractor for both coke oven battery.

The first COB was commissioned in late October last year while the heating of the COB2# began in the third week of November, 2022. At present, 75 ovens are being pushed for COB # 1 per day.

Currently, whatever met coke is being produced from both COBs is being sold by NMDC Steel Limited, in the merchant market. While some BF-grade is going to SAIL, others materials like breeze coke and coke fines are being sold in the merchant market.

The combined capacity of the coke ovens is around 1.6 million tonnes (mnt) which will supply met coke to the blast furnace and sinter plant once these are commissioned. A source informed SteelMint that only a limited number of coke oven pushing is being undertaken at present since the blast furnace is not ready yet and NSL does not have enough space to store the full amount of met coke inside the plant.

Efforts are on in full swing to start the plant within the deadline of 15 June, 2023 internally set by NSL and MECON- which has been mandated to commission the plant.

However, due to certain operational constraints, the commissioning may get delayed beyond this deadline, it is heard although this could not be confirmed from NSL officials.

The 3-mnt plant will contribute substantially to India's total steel production once it gets commissioned, dovetailing with India's National Steel Policy, 2017 that envisages 300 mnt of crude steel production by 2030.