State-run steelmaker Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) has started revamping its 1991 blast furnace-I at the Vizag plant at an investment of Rs 500 crore.

Siemens VAI, an Austria-based engineering and plant-building company for the steel industry, will execute the revamp project in 135 days, which will increase the furnace’s melting capacity to 2.5 million tonnes (mt) a year from 1.8 mt, A.P. Choudhary, Chairman and Managing Director, told Business Line .

He said the project would increase the size of the 3,200-cubic-metre furnace to 3,800 cu.m.

“The more efficient and eco-friendly furnace would be ready by the end of February for commissioning,” Choudhary added.

Siemens started the revamp work on Saturday.

Meanwhile, RINL’s converter, which was shut down for routine maintenance work for 10 days, was put back in operation on Sunday.

RINL has also restarted coking coal supply from the nearby Gangavaram port through conveyor belts after heavy rains hit raw material supply.

“Safe operations have resumed, but at a lower levels than normal,” Choudhary said.

The handling of raw materials – coking and thermal coal, iron ore fines and lumps— has been difficult in the past six days at the Vizag plant.

“Thermal coal supply from Mahanadi Coalfield (Odisha) was also affected in the last week due to rains. Things are, however, gradually returning to normal on stepped-up efforts to maintain the raw material supply chain,” he added. The Vizag plant is now running at 35 per cent capacity.

> jayanta.mallick@thehindu.co.in

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