India’s Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has selected Primetals Technologies to supply a new pelletizing plant, three 165-ton ladle furnaces and two 165-ton RH degassers for the expansion of its IISCO Steel Plant in Burnpur, the company said.
The greenfield project aims to increase steelmaking capacity and support the production of high-grade HRC and API-grade steel for the oil and gas sector.
The pelletizing facility will use a 576-square-metre straight-grate design with an annual production capacity of 4.2 mln tons. Primetals will supply key equipment for the induration area, pelletizing discs, motors and drives. The plant will also incorporate advanced digitalization systems with smart sensors and predictive process control to optimize raw material mix, pellet quality and maintenance planning.
The project marks the first time SAIL will build and operate its own pellet plant, moving away from previous build-own-operate (BOO) arrangements.
Primetals’ Austrian unit, the company’s global centre of competence for pelletizing technology, will handle engineering and supply of core components. Primetals Technologies India will lead the consortium, providing local engineering, equipment supply and project coordination, while consortium partner Lloyds Engineering will supply equipment for iron ore grinding, filtration and flux grinding.
In addition, Primetals will supply three ladle furnaces and two RH degassers to enhance steel refining and product quality. These secondary metallurgy units will allow precise control of chemical composition and temperature before casting.
The RH degassers will feature single RH stations with steam vacuum pump systems, ferro-alloy and micro-alloy addition systems, and process optimization software. The ladle furnaces will include two offline and one online unit equipped with transfer cars, alloy addition systems, bottom stirring, arc heating systems and automated electrode regulation.
SAIL currently produces about 20.6 mln tons of crude steel annually and plans to expand its capacity to 35 mln tons per year by FY2031. Following completion of the project, expected by 2029, capacity at the IISCO Steel Plant will increase to 7.1 mln tons per year. The Burnpur facility currently produces rebar, wire rod, angles and channels, and the expansion will enable the plant to move further into higher-grade flat steel production.
