BSP OPERATES ABOVE RATED CAPACITY DURING LAST NINE YEARS

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Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) of the Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) has been operating above rated capacity in the production of hot metal, crude steel and saleable steel during last 9 consecutive years. During the year 2001-02 five blast furnaces were operating throughout the year. Capacity utilisation of its Rail & Structural Mill went up to 116 per cent and of its Wire Rod Mill to 131 per cent.

The plant achieved best ever production and despatch of rails to the Indian Railways. It also recorded highest-ever production levels of wire rods, API plates, TMT bars and concast blooms/billets. BSP's Hirri mines produced 0.64 million tonnes of dolomite registering 11 per cent growth. So the plant has eliminated purchase of silica dolomite during the year. Sinter production at 5.08 million tonnes was also a new record.

BSP directed its efforts towards enhanced production of special steels/value-added products, the proportion of which, in its total saleable steel production increased from 20 per cent to 25 per cent during 2001-02. Hydrogen content in rail steel was brought down much below the Railways' specification. The plant started producing 26-metre rails to fulfil the requirement of the Railways and is fully geared up to supply 6.5 lakh tonnes of rails, including longer rails, in the current fiscal. This will be the highest rail supply by any manufacturer in the world in one year.