STEEL MINISTER VISITS RUSSIA
The Union Minister
for Steel, Shri Braja Kishore Tripathy left today for a week’s
visit to Ukraine, Russia and Finland to discuss the issues on
mutual cooperation in the steel sector. He has led a delegation
comprising of Dr.S.N.Dash, Joint Secretary, Steel Ministry, Shri
P.R.Tripathy, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, National Mineral
Development Corporation (NMDC) and Shri S.C.K. Patney, Director
Projects, Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL). Sourcing of technology
for modernization and capital projects of the steel plants in
India, adoption of new technologies following stringent environment
norms, cooperation in R&D areas, training of Indian engineers
in the latest technologies, possibilities of export of Indian
iron ore and steel products and import of coking coal are the
broad areas which will be covered during this tour to these countries.
There is ongoing
cooperation between Indian steel companies and the Russian companies
in various fields of steel plant operations and technological
development. Shri Tripathy will discuss with his Russian counterpart
on the modernization of IISCO through joint venture particpation
of Russian companies. He will take up finalisation of schedule
and other details for the NMDC’s Iron & Steel plant to be
set up at Nagarnar of Chhatisgarh State using romelt process developed
by the Moscow Institute of Steel Alloys (MISA), Possibilities
of Russian cooperation in conforming with revised pollution control
norms for steel plants will also be discussed.
The Minister
will visit some Ukrainian steel plants to study the new generation
coke oven batteries. The coke oven batteries from Ukraine are
operating at least in 30-40
per cent of the steel plants in the world. SAIL has plans to rebuild
coke oven battery No.5 at Bokaro Steel Plant and coke oven battery
No. 1 at Rourkela Steel Plant following revised pollution control
norms issued by the
Central Pollution Control Board. Some o the Ukrainian companies
have set up coke oven batteries which conform to the stringent
pollution control norms.
SAIL is at present
importing around 6 million tonnes of coke every year from various
countries. As Ukraine has a good quality coking coal, the possibilities
of importing coking coal from Ukraine shall be explored. Ukraine
could also provide market for Indian iron ore. Import of coking
coal from Ukraine and export of iron ore to that country can properly
balance the shipping plan. The ships bringing coking coal for
India can return with iron ore to Ukraine.
Ukraine has a
well-developed ferrous metallurgical sector. Ukrainian organizations
have worked on sinter plant and BOF packages in Rourkela Steel
Plant modernizations, expansion of Oxygen Plant-III and raw material
handling complex package in Sinter Plant-III at Bhillai Steel
Plant. Besides, SAIL is sourcing spares especially for the converters
and rolls for various mills from Ukraine. The Research & Development
Centre of SAIL has developed many technologies which are being
implemented in SAIL plants and have resulted in substantial improvement
of techno-economic indices. These can be of use in Ukrainian plants
and also in other developing countries in joint collaboration
with Ukrainian companies.
During the visit
to Finland, the Minister would visit a steel plant at Raahe to
see the results achieved through modernization and use of latest
technology. Finland is one of the most competitive economies in
the world and has achieved very high level of technological advancement.
Some of the Finish companies specialize in branded steel products
and carry out design, engineering, equipment supply and sophisticated
software for industrial information and management of communication
software. They have achieved very high level of automation in
blast furnace and coke oven batteries. Possibilities of technical
collaboration with the Finnish companies will be explored during
the Minister’s visit.
