ROURKELA, NOV 4
The new units of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) have delivered remarkable results in the first seven months of FY 2024-25. The state-of-the-art Hot Strip Mill-2 (HSM-2) produced 1,265,989 tons of HR coils, achieving its best-ever performance for the April-October period, surpassing last year’s record of 1,245,850 tons. Similarly, the New Plate Mill rolled 5,43,174 tons of plates during this period, marking its best first seven months and exceeding its previous record of 5,35,101 tons set in 2021.
Blast Furnace-5 (Durga) produced 1,780,457 tons of hot metal from April to October 2024, reflecting a 6.8 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. The Steel Melting Shop-II (SMS-2) also reached new heights, tapping 2,113,432 tons of crude steel, its best April-October performance to date.
During these seven months, RSP achieved several significant milestones across various operations. Notably, Caster #3 of SMS-2 recorded its highest-ever long sequence of 380 heats, surpassing the previous record of 349 heats. On October 25, 2024, Blast Furnace-1 achieved a remarkable single-day production of 3,625 tons of hot metal.
RSP has been strategically optimizing its operations to reduce production costs. Currently, two furnaces are operational, aimed at maintaining production levels at lower costs. Additionally, the recent decision to switch to single-strand operation of Sinter Plant-1, effective October 22, 2024, is expected to yield significant cost savings of Rs 7 crore per month. In its ongoing efforts to access niche markets, RSP has also expanded its product range by developing ERW pipes with a 4 mm wall thickness in the 14-inch outer diameter segment.
