Public hearing on RINL expansion

A public hearing will be held on the expansion of capacity and augmentation of various facilities of the Visakhapatnam steel plant Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd here on June 15.

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

Capacity expansion The steel plant has completed the expansion from 3 to 6.3 million tonne with an investment of ₹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 ₹4,000 crore.

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

Turbo blower-5 will be installed for the captive power plant at a cost of₹280 crore.

Water requirements 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 ₹466 crore. Revamping of electro static precipitator will cost ₹100 crore.

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