NMDC Ltd is expected to produce 2.89 Million Tonnes (MT) per year of finished steel from its Nagarnar Steel Plant in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh when commissioned, officials informed.

The Nagarnar Plant is having the single largest Blast Furnace in India of 4500 Cum, they informed.

Notably, the company’s Nagarnar Plant is all set for inaugural heating up of its Coke Oven in Bastar division of Chhattisgarh. The Coke Oven will be inaugurated on September 28.

Union Minister for Steel Chaudhary Birender Singh and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh will light up the Coke Oven on September 28, 2018, officials informed.

Notably, NMDC Ltd will also be generating about 70 MW of captive power using gases from steel making processes in the upcoming 3 MTPA Nagarnar steel plant in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.

The power would be generated from gases released from blast furnace, coke oven and 'LD gases'.

The total power requirement of the steel plant would be around 420 MW in which the mines, pellet plant and the slurry pumping system would require around 120 MW of power, officials stated.

The remaining 350 MW power would be conventional in nature which would be fulfilled by the captive power plant and the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Ltd (CSPDCL).

The Union Steel & Mines Ministry has plans of doubling installed capacity of NMDC Ltd’s proposed 3 MTPA integrated steel plant coming up at Nagarnar in Bastar district in Chhattisgarh in due course once the plant is commissioned.

In order to increase the domestic capacity of steel production, a concept of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) has been introduced, officials stated.

Two MoUs have already been signed by the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand for setting up Greenfield steel plants with initial capacity of 3 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) each, to be later enhanced to 6 MTPA. More than Rs 70,000 crore will be invested for setting up of these steel plants.