JSPL commissions fourth coke oven battery at Angul steel plant

Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) has commissioned its fourth coke oven battery at Angul plant in Odisha, making it self-sufficient in coke requirement.

The coke oven consists of four batteries of 45,000 tonnes each per month will be producing a total coke of two million tonnes per annum.

The plant is feeding coke to India's largest blast furnace having 4,554 cubic metre volume which is already in operation at Angul and two blast furnaces at Raigarh in Chattisgarh.

JSPL conceived and commissioned the world's first syngas-based direct reduced iron (DRI) plant at Angul. The plant is based on a concept of making steel through coal gas-based DRI and electric arc furnace (EAF) route using high ash swadeshi (Indian) coal to produce syngas for DRI.

Just before the commissioning of the plant, the coal mines allocated to JSPL to run its gasification plant were cancelled by the Supreme Court. The setback compelled JSPL to install a conventional steel making facility through blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace (BF/BOF) route.

JSPL is still trying to get coal for its syngas-based DRI plant to reduce dependence on imported coking coal, said Chairman Naveen Jindal.

"If this coal gasification plant gets a regular supply of one type of coal from nearby mines at an affordable price, then this can be a role model and game-changer for Indian steel industry, fulfilling the Prime Minister's mission of using high ash Indian coal through environment-friendly coal gasification," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

A part of the 22 billion dollar O P Jindal Group, JSPL is an industrial powerhouse with an active presence in steel, power, mining and infrastructure sectors.

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