Rourkela Steel set for capacity expansion

Rourkela: Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) is all set to go for massive expansion to raise production capacity from 2 million tonnes to 4.5 million tonnes of hot metal in an eco-friendly manner by adopting state-of-the-art technologies and environmental protection measures.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has already issued environment clearance to RSP for its expansion, plant sources said.

A technical committee of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) visited the plant on November 7, 2008 and examined the environmental management plans proposed by RSP for the expansion project. SPCB will issue clearance based on the recommendations of the technical committee.

RSP is the first integrated steel plant in the country, which has installed two ''automatic ambient air quality monitoring stations'', one inside the plant and another at the steel township.

These stations continuously monitor the concentration of pollutants like dust, sulphur di-oxide, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide present in ambient air.

The enhancement of solid waste utilisation to 73 per cent and use in place of basic raw materials reduced consumption of natural resources like coal, lime stone and iron ore.

The plant, as per its major achievements, has taken various steps in maximizing the recovery of waste gases and their use as fuels in steel plant operations. RSP has complied to most of the commitments given under corporate responsibility for environment protection (CREP), a charter voluntarily committed by various industries to Centre.