State-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) plans to more than double the capacity of its Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) to 9.4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) by 2030, investing ₹30,000 crore. This expansion will bolster supplies to key sectors such as defense, oil & gas, and automobiles.
The project, covering 1,200 acres, will contribute approximately 25% to SAIL’s overall target of reaching 35 MTPA capacity by 2030, according to Alok Verma, Director In-Charge of RSP.
Legacy and Current Capacity
Located in Rourkela, Odisha, around 320 km from Bhubaneswar, RSP is India’s first public-sector steel plant. Established in the 1950s with German collaboration, it became operational on February 3, 1959, when President Rajendra Prasad inaugurated the first blast furnace, Parvati.
Currently, SAIL has a total steelmaking capacity of 20.3 MTPA, with RSP contributing 4.4 MTPA. The upcoming expansion will add 5 MTPA, pushing RSP’s capacity to 9.4 MTPA.
Expansion Details
The project will include:
- New Facilities: Raw material handling plant, coke oven stamp charge battery, sinter plant, thin slab caster-direct rolling, cold rolling mill, silicon mill, and enhanced logistics.
- Infrastructure Upgrades: A new blast furnace and steel melting shop.
- Improved Logistics: A dedicated railway line from Dumertra station to RSP is under construction to ease raw material and finished goods transportation, reducing load on Bondamunda Yard. This rail link is being developed by South Eastern Railways under a cost deposit scheme, with RSP funding the project.
Product Portfolio and Market Focus
RSP manufactures a wide range of products, including:
- Industrial Applications: Plates, hot-rolled (HR) coils, spiral-welded and electric resistance-welded pipes, and cold-rolled non-oriented (CRNO) sheets used in shipbuilding, rail wagons, LPG cylinders, automobiles, and oil & gas.
- Defense and Naval Grade Steel: A dedicated mill produces naval-grade, armor-grade, and quenched & tempered plates for various defense applications.
SAIL’s Position in the Indian Steel Industry
SAIL, under the Ministry of Steel, is among India’s top three steel manufacturers. Besides RSP, its integrated steel plants include:
- Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) – Chhattisgarh
- Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) – Jharkhand
- Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP) – West Bengal
- Burnpur Steel Plant (ISP) – West Bengal
This expansion at RSP aligns with India’s growing steel demand and SAIL’s vision of strengthening domestic production while reducing dependency on imports.