New blast furnace ups crude steel capacity at Tata Steel Kalinganagar by 5 million tonnes

Tata Steel on Friday commissioned a 5 million tonnes per annum capacity blast furnace at Kalinganagar, Orissa, raising the plant’s crude steel capacity to 8 million tonnes from 3 million tonnes.

T V Narendran, CEO and managing director of Tata Steel, inaugurated the new facility.

With total investment of Rs27,000 crore in the second phase expansion of the Kalinganagar plant, and cumulative investment of over Rs100,000 crore in the last 10 years. Orissa has also become Tata Steel’s largest investment destination in the country.

Expansion of production at the plant will boost Tata Steel’s ability to meet the growing demands of various industries, including automotive, infrastructure, power, shipbuilding, and defense. 

The new, state-of-the-art blast furnace, with four top combustion stoves and a volume of 5,870 m3, is designed for eco-friendly operation and optimum steel production.

The blast furnace also boasts of the world’s largest Top Gas Recovery Turbine of 35 MW capacity and a dry gas cleaning plant to maximise energy recovery from by-product gas. 

The blast furnace uses an evaporative cooling system which will optimize water and power consumption by around 20 per cent. It also has a zero discharge rate for processed water.

Phase 2 expansion of the Kalinganagar plant also includes a Pellet Plant, Coke Plant, and Cold Rolling Mill all designed for value-added products, operational efficiency, and a reduced carbon emissions.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has described Tata Steel Kalinganagar as a Global Lighthouse, the first for an Indian manufacturing plant. The plant also received the 2024 ResponsibleSteelTM Certification.