State-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) plans to double the capacity of its Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) to 9 mln tons per annum by 2030, investing INR 30,000 crore (USD 3.45 bln). Covering 1,200 acres, the expansion will strengthen supplies to key sectors such as defence, oil & gas, and automobiles, according to RSP Director In-Charge Alok Verma.
Located in Rourkela, Odisha, RSP was India’s first public sector steel plant, established in the 1950s with German collaboration. Operational since 1959, it currently has a 4.4 mln tons per annum capacity, contributing to SAIL’s total output of 20.3 mln tons per annum. Post-expansion, RSP alone will account for 25pct of SAIL’s targeted 35 mln tons per annum capacity by 2030. The plant produces plates, HR coils, welded pipes, and cold-rolled steel, serving industries like shipbuilding, railways, LPG cylinders, and automotive manufacturing. It also manufactures naval and armour-grade steel for defence applications.
The expansion will introduce new production facilities, including a raw material handling plant, coke oven, sinter plant, thin slab caster-direct rolling unit, cold rolling and silicon mills, a new blast furnace, and a steel melting shop. To support the increased capacity, a new railway line connecting Dumertra station to RSP is under construction, easing raw material and finished goods transport while reducing congestion at Bondamunda Yard. The South Eastern Railways is executing the project under a cost deposit scheme funded by RSP.
SAIL, one of India’s top three steel manufacturers under the Ministry of Steel, operates four other integrated steel plants in Durgapur and Burnpur (West Bengal), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), and Bokaro (Jharkhand). This expansion reinforces SAIL’s commitment to India’s steel industry growth, enhancing production capacity and supply chain efficiency.
1 USD / 86.9 INR