A public hearing is going to be held on the expansion of capacity and augmentation of various facilities of the Visakhapatnam steel plant - Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited here on June 15.

The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, which issued the notification last week, said that people could express their views at the public hearing being conducted at Trishna grounds of Ukkunagaram, the VSP Township.

The steel plant has completed the expansion from three to 6.3 million tonne with an investment of Rs 12,300 crore through internal accruals. The present capacity would be expanded to 7.3 million tonne by undertaking capital repairs of blast furnaces and other critical facilities at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore more.

Blast furnace performance will be enhanced through pulverised coal injection to enable blowing large volumes. A senior company official said capital repairs were undertaken as a part of the modernisation project.

Revamping of rebar mill will cost Rs 431 crore. Construction of a new coke oven battery will be taken up with a total investment of Rs 2,858 crore. Revamping of continuous casting department will cost Rs 633 crore. Coke oven battery-I revamp will entail an expenditure of Rs 945 crore.

Turbo blower-5 will be installed for the captive power plant at a cost of Rs 280 crore. As the capacity of Kanithi Balancing Reservoir which meets the water requirements of VSP as well as Ukkunagaram Township is not enough once the plant achieves 7.3 million tonne capacity, KBR-2 construction is being taken up at a cost of Rs 466 crore. Revamping of electro static precipitator will cost Rs 100 crore.

The modernisation and expansion works would not entail fresh land acquisition or displacement of any kind.

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