Bokaro Steel Plant focusses on auto sector

Kolkata, Aug 8 (UNI) Steel Authority of India Ltd's (SAIL) Bokaro steel plant has decided to focus on the emerging auto sector.

'' We will focus on the potential automobile sector once the new cold rolling mill is installed as part of the expansion and modernisation programme, '' Bokaro steel plant managing director V K Srivastava said.

The plant would also undergo capacity expansion and modernisation programme at a cost of Rs 6,400 crore. SAIL board has already cleared proposals worth Rs 1,000 crore, he said.

The investment would include setting up of a converter, a new hot rolling and a new cold rolling mill, Srivastava said.

He said the plant's existing cold rolling mill would also undergo modernisation and a new C R mill would be set up to cater to the demand of the auto sector.

The capacity expansion would be part of the company's plan envisaging increase in SAIL's total capacity to 22.5 million tonne by 2011-12 from the current level of 13 MT, he said.

As per the plan, 1.5 million hot metal capacity would be added to Bokaro after which the plant's total capacity would increase to 6.5 MT from the present 4.5 MT. Bokaro would continue to be a flat product plant, he said.

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