RSP surpasses all previous annual production

Bhubaneswar, Feb 04: The Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), a unit of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), has notched up yet another sterling performance by surpassing the best annual production during the first ten months of the current fiscal year.

According to an RSP release, during the first ten months of the current fiscal, the Steel Plant had produced 2.6 million ton of Sinter, 1.8 million ton of Hot Metal, 1.68 million ton of Crude Steel and 1.64 million ton of total Saleable Steel.

Incidentally, the previous best annual performance in these areas had been to the tune of 2.56 million ton of Sinter,1.78 million ton of Hot Metal, 1.66 million ton of Crude Steel and 1.62 million ton of Saleable Steel besides 1.59 million ton steel despatches.

In the Finishing Mills too, Plate Mill Plates, Hot Rolled Plates and CRNO Steel had registered the best ever April-January performance.

During the current financial year major areas like production of Sinter, Hot Metal, Crude Steel, Saleable Steel, HR Coils, HR Plates, Plate Mill Plates, Silicon Steel and Saleable Steel have maintained a capacity utilization of over 100 per cent.

This had helped RSP in bringing down cost of production by 3.6 per cent even though input prices went up by 8 per cent. During January 2007, the plant, sources said, produced 2,69,910 ton of sinter, 1,81,289 ton of hot metal, 1,70,510 ton of crude steel and 1,77,132 ton of total saleable steel.

Another important milestone was that the steel plant had been able to maintain the production tempo in spite of the shut down of the Coke Oven Battery No.4. The operation of this battery was suspended from December 31, 2006 in compliance to the directive of the Apex Court.

UNI