BSP modernisation gathers steam

The Rs 17,200 crore modernisation and expansion plan of the Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), the flagship entity of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), is gaining momentum.

While several big projects under the modernisation and expansion plan are making good progress on ground, the process for tendering in remaining big projects is in the advanced stages, BSP Executive Director (Projects) S S Mohanty said.

The civil work on two big projects including the 4 million tonne per annum (MTPA) steel melting shop (SMS) III and Coke Oven Battery (COB) No 11 started last month. The new SMS will be the largest in the country with all state of the art facilities.

Mohanty said both the COB 11 and CDCP (Coke Dry Cooling Process) packages that would cater to the needs of quality coke for the enhanced hot metal capacity of the plant was expected to be commissioned in record time. The work on the new coal handling plant too has picked up speed, he added.

The other projects of critical importance under the plan are in advanced stages of tendering. The projects include Blast Furnace No 8, projects for installing a second sinter machine in the Sinter Plant III, installing additional turbo blower, setting up a new 1.2 MTPA Universal Rail Mill and a new 0.9 MTPA Bar and Rod Mill.

Mohanty said work was on to ensure that all backward integration of various facilities, expansion of logistics like rail movement inside the works and enabling packages were in place in time.

Implementation of the 7 MT crude steel expansion and modernisation plan is top on BSP management's priority, Mohanty said, adding that the 50-year old plant that literally drives the economy of the region had seen two major and other incremental modernisations from time to time in the past.

Another project high on the priority of Bhilai & 8217; projects team is the in-house project of installing a second Normalising Furnace in Plate Mill. The project will enable Bhilai to become one of the few integrated steel plants in the world with a capacity to produce more than half a million tonne of normalised plates at one location.