Inefficient steel units to be phased out

To promote clean, green and sustainable technology and minimize the overall energy consumption in the processes of steel making, the Union government plans to phase out all inefficient production.

This will be implemented in a gradual manner and clean, green, energy efficient and environment friendly processes will be promoted in the steel sector, a senior official of the Union steel ministry said.

“We have to gradually phase out all inefficient production units in favour of clean, green, energy efficient and environment friendly processes at the earliest. There are relevant technologies all over the world and many plants are operating at the minimum level of energy consumption and with minimum Co2 emission,” said Union steel secretary P K Rastogi.

Addressing the delegates of the International Convention on Clean, Green and Sustainable Technologies in iron and steel making in Bhubaneswar he said, the Indian steel industry suffers from technological obsolescence as well as raw material quality constraints.

These two factors significantly results in lower productivity, higher energy consumption and higher environmental emissions including higher carbon dioxide and solid waste generation.

Though the old steel plants of SAIL and Tata Steel have been modernized and renovated, we are far behind the world benchmark, Rastogi said, adding adoption of clean, green technologies can bring sustainable growth and development in the steel industry in the future.“We have to adopt similar technologies and strategies in all our existing steel plants – integrated or otherwise”.

Stating that the steel industry must focus attention on sustainable and inclusive growth, Rastogi said there is a need for utilization of low grade iron ore and slimes in the country. There are smelting reduction technologies or alternate iron makings processes like COREX, FINEX, HI-SMELT, which have distinct advantages in terms of use of non-coking coal, iron ore fines and reduced Green House Gases (GHGs). But it is more relevant is to develop technologies to suit iron ore fines and non-coking coal available in the country.

Orissa boasts of nearly 20 percent of the total mineral reserves of the country with vast reserves of iron ore, chromite, bauxite, manganese and coal. These resources along with its geographical position and availability of skilled manpower make Orissa the ideal place to become steel hub of the nation, he added.