By IANS
Raipur : The Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), the flagship unit of the government-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), has posted the best ever first quarter performance by producing 850,100 tonne of finished steel, 8.6 percent more than in the same quarter last year.
"The plant produced 315,400 tonne of plates, 141,400 tonne of wire rods, 173,500 tonne of merchant products including 100,200 tonnes of rounds and bars – all highest recorded for any Q1 period," a BSP statement said Thursday.
The BSP recorded 19 percent and 41.3 percent growth in production of total merchant products and rounds and bars, respectively. In wire rods and plates production, the plant recorded a growth of 22.8 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively, over the corresponding period in the last fiscal year.
"In the area of value-added steel for customised applications, the plant recorded the highest ever Q1 production of boiler quality plates, high tensile plates, electrode quality wire rods and TMT rods and bars in the April-June period of the current fiscal year," the statement said.
BSP reported a production of 4.82 million tonnes of hot metal, 4.80 million tonnes of crude steel and 4.22 million tonnes of saleable steel in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.
SAIL has announced its plans to invest Rs.112.62 billion for the expansion and upgradation of BSP, which includes installation of a new blast furnace, a seven-metre-tall coke oven battery, a new sinter machine and a new steel melting shop.
The proposed modernisation plan will take Bhilai plant production upto 7.5 tonne of hot metal and 7 tonne crude steel per year by the end of the fiscal year 2010-11.