Comments
To meet the demand for DI (ductile iron) spun pipes in the country, KIOCL Ltd is thinking of setting up a DI pipe plant in Mangaluru.
Speaking at the inauguration of the 1.3-MW solar plant at KIOCL’s blast furnace unit in Mangaluru on Wednesday, Chaudhary Birender Singh, Union Steel Minister, said only two-three industries produce DI pipes in the country at present. DI pipes are in good demand in various sectors, including in the laying of gas pipelines and water pipelines across the country.
Though KIOCL came out with an idea of setting up a DI pipe plant two decades ago, it did not take shape. He said that KIOCL is now planning to set up a DI pipe plant with an annual production capacity of 5 lakh tonnes.
Establishment of such a plant would help generate a turnover of ₹1,000 crore in the beginning. This kind of project will create more jobs, he said.
Apart from this, he said, KIOCL’s blast furnace unit in Mangaluru will be renovated. The government wants to see that the blast furnace unit, which is idle for so many years, becomes functional. For the functioning of blast furnace unit, coke oven battery is to be placed. He said all the above works would require an investment of around ₹820 crore.
Thanking the Karnataka government for recommending an iron ore block for mining to KIOCL Ltd in Devadari range of Bellary, he requested it to expedite the statutory clearance for the project. After the statutory clearance and the operation of Devadari mines, KIOCL is planning to set up 2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) benefication and 2 MTPA pelletisation plant. This project will provide employment opportunity for more than 2,000 people, he said.
Considering the importance of safety aspects in steel industry, the government has decided to celebrate March 28 as Steel Safety Day. A directorate for safety has been set up, and it would be in place in 10 days, he added.
On this occasion, KIOCL Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding with National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Mangaluru, for taking up research and development projects together in the areas of beneficiation and pelletisation of iron ore and other projects.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.