Rourkela SAIL steel plant to double its capacity with Rs 30,000 crore boost

The Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) is in plans to invest Rs 30,000 crore to more than double the production capacity of its Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP).

According to PTI, with this investment, SAIL plans to boost the steel plant’s annual output from 4.4 million tonnes (MTPA) to 9.4 MTPA by 2030.

Notably, the expansion will position RSP as a cornerstone of SAIL’s national target to achieve 35 MTPA steel production by the end of the decade, contributing nearly 25% of the company’s total output.

Spread over 1,200 acres on the plant’s southeastern side, the project includes advanced infrastructure upgrades and new production units, strengthening supplies to critical sectors like defence, oil and gas, automotive, and energy.

Strategic Upgrades for Modern Demands

The expansion will introduce cutting-edge facilities such as a raw material handling plant, coke oven stamp charge battery, sinter plant, and thin slab caster-direct rolling unit. A new cold rolling mill, silicon steel mill, blast furnace, and steel melting shop will also be established.

The upgrades will enhance RSP’s ability to produce specialised steel for shipbuilding, rail wagons, LPG cylinders, transformers, and defence equipment.

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The plant already operates a dedicated mill for manufacturing high-strength naval-grade plates, armour-grade steel, and quenched and tempered plates used in defence applications. Post-expansion, the plant aims to dominate niche markets while supporting India’s self-reliance in strategic sectors.

Logistics Overhaul to Boost Efficiency

To streamline transportation, SAIL is constructing a new railway line connecting Dumertra station to RSP. Executed by South Eastern Railways under a cost-sharing model, this link will ease raw material delivery and finished product dispatch, reducing congestion at Bondamunda Yard.

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Legacy of Innovation

Established in the 1950s, RSP is India’s first public-sector steel plant. It began operations on February 3, 1959, when then-President Rajendra Prasad inaugurated its first blast furnace, Parvati. Today, SAIL’s total production capacity stands at 20.3 MTPA, with RSP contributing 4.4 MTPA.

SAIL, a Maharatna company under the Ministry of Steel, operates four other integrated plants in Durgapur, Burnpur, Bhilai, and Bokaro. The Rourkela expansion is in line with its needs for modernisation, sustainability, and meeting the nation’s evolving infrastructure needs.