Bhilai Steel to net record profit, rolls expansion plans

Bhilai, Apr 11 (UNI) Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) is all set for modernisation and capacity expansion to seven million tonnes at a cost of Rs 11,262 crore even as the public sector unit registered an impressive growth in the last fiscal with sales turnover crossing Rs 13,000 crore mark.

''The Board of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has already given its approval to the proposal for modernisation and capacity expansion. The plant will be spending Rs 2,000 crore for new additions to capacity in the current fiscal,'' BSP Managing Director R Ramaraju told UNI.

Throwing light on the expansion plans, he said a new blast furnace -- which would be the biggest in the country --, a seven-metre tall coke oven battery and a new sinter plant would be installed.

A new steel-melting shop of four million tonnes capacity would be added to make the Bhilai plant a cent per cent continuous casting plant.

Pointing out that BSP was a major producer of long steel products, including rails, Mr Ramaraju said the expansion plan envisages installation of a universal beam mill of one MT capacity to produce beam upto 1.1 metre in depth, which will be the only one of its kind in India.

In order to meet the growing demand of the Indian Railways, he said, a new universal rail mill of 1.2 MT capacity with state-of-the-art technology will be installed.

Besides, capacity expansion of plate mill to 1.42 MT would also be taken up so as to maintain BSP's dominance in production of wider plates.

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