Date:11/03/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/03/11/stories/2005031101700200.htm

Back SAIL board okays Rs 180-cr expansion

Our Bureau

New Delhi , March 10

THE board of Steel Authority of India Ltd on Thursday gave in-principle approval for undertaking expansions worth Rs 180 crore.

The expansion plan includes two projects — revamping the Sinter Plant-II at the Bhilai Steel Plant and installation of air turbo compressor and oxygen turbo compressor at oxygen plant at the Bokaro Steel Plant.

With these approvals, the total planned investment in different projects approved, both in-principle and final, during the current financial year stands at over Rs 2,500 crore, according to a release.

These expansion plans are part of SAIL's long-term corporate plan, which aims at enhancing the company's hot metal production from 13 million tonnes per annum to 20 mt by 2011-12 at a total estimated investment of Rs 25,000 crore.

The revamping of Sinter Plant-II will enable Bhilai Steel Plant to increase the annual production of sinter from 2.5 mt to 3.1 mt and help improve the quality of sinter as well.

The installation of one air turbo compressor and one oxygen turbo compressor at Bokaro's Oxygen Plant will help meet the enhanced requirement of compressed air to augment oxygen production.

This has become necessary due to the ongoing thrust on implementing auxiliary fuel injection methods such as coal dust or tar injection facilities in all the blast furnaces.

The requirement of oxygen will increase with the enhancement of oxygen enrichment in all the blast furnaces, the release added.