With the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) set to double its capacity of production, its management has sought support of the State Government for resolving several major issues, which need immediate attention.

RSP Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dipak Chattaraj has brought it to the notice of the Odisha Government that in line of the National Steel Policy, there is a plan to double its present capacity of steel production by 2030.

Earlier, the RSP had doubled its capacity and augmented it to the level of 4.5 MTPA (Million Tonne Per Annum) of hot metal from the previous level of 2 MTPA.

Now once again the capacity will be doubled as the Union Government according to the National Steel Policy aims to go for 300 Million Ton Per Annum of steel production by 2030.

The RSP’s present capacity of 4.2 MTPA crude steel production, which is planned to expand to 8.7 MTPA.

For doubling capacity, the RSP requires 5,525 acres of land and at present 3,850 acres of vacant land is available for expansion purpose. And out of which about 390 acres of land is encroached at different locations.

The RSP has sought waiver of electricity duty and interest on water tax, which needs immediate attention of the State Government. Both the waiver issues are pending for quite some years and the RSP is continuously taking up the matter with the State authorities.

With a new 250 mega watt power plant soon to be commissioned, the RSP requires land for the ash ponds. Local resistance by unauthorized elements is prohibiting RSP authorities to take over the land adjacent to the present ash ponds.

While a Sulphuric Acid Plant has been established in the RSP premises, plant could not be made operational due to environmental issues raised by the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) since a long

time.