Calcutta, Jan. 24: The Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has set up a new 600-tph (tonnes per hour) capacity crushing and screening plant at its Bolani mines in Orissa.

The mine is SAIL’s principal source of iron ore for its Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP).

The expansion at Bolani comes at a time when DSP is planning to increase production under the corporate plan of SAIL.

DSP will require 5.3 million tonnes of iron ore in the next seven years to reach production of 2.6 mt of saleable steel. It currently needs 3.6 mt of iron ore to produce 1.58 mt of saleable steel.

Apart from meeting the demand of DSP, Bolani supplies some quantity to Bokaro Steel Plant.

The mine, located on the Orissa-Chhattisgarh border, has recorded a production of 3.41 mt, a growth of 3.33 per cent over last year.

SAIL’s iron ore production during the last calendar was also at an all-time high of 13.34 million tonnes.

Besides Bolani, Meghataburu and Kiriburu iron ore mines also contributed to it.

Furnace capacity

In keeping with its expansion plan, DSP has commissioned a state-of-the-art ladle furnace with a capacity of 0.77 million tonnes at an investment of Rs 21.85 crore.

The furnace is a precursor for setting up the bloom caster next year.

This will help the plant in routing its entire steel through the continuous casting process and improve the quality of steel and the quantum of hot metal.