Bhubaneswar: Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has set a high target of 4.1 million tonne Hot Metal productions in fiscal 2020-21. The targets for Crude Steel is 3.9 million tonnes and Saleable Steel 3.55 million tonnes during the FY 21.

RSP CEO Dipak Chattaraj

“The goals are tough, but so are we,” said RSP CEO Dipak Chattaraj adding, “We have to make every possible effort to protect our pride and dignity.” “Let’s strive to have an Unnattara and Utkrushttara Plant”, the CEO said in his Utaka Divas message on Wednesday.  

Listing out the achievements of the Plant in 2019-20, the CEO said, “In spite of all odds we set many new benchmarks in the last fiscal” “Our Blast Furnace-5 crossed 15 million tonne production mark in February while the last 1 million tonne was made in only 132 days.  All-time best Hot Metal production was clocked with 2 furnace operation. Our three main Mills namely Plate Mill, New Plate Mill and Hot Strip Mill have all registered their all-time best annual performance with combined production of 3.1 MT. Coke Oven Battery-6 crossed 2 lakh pushing on 24th February in 2509 days. Import grade API plates for pipe making developed in New Plate Mill.”

  ” Chattaraj said, “A very satisfying moment came when the first coil was rolled out from our Hot Strip Mill-2, within two days of commencement of trial run. This 3 Million ton mill is one of the biggest in the World with latest technology that would play a key role in shaping the future of RSP.”

Stating that high cost of production that posed a major challenge in the first half of the fiscal was also addressed effectively, he said, ” We brought down the cost of production in a strategic manner progressively from the level of   Rs. 41949/- per ton of Saleable Steel in August ’19 to Rs. 33501 in February’20.” 

Expressing concern over the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the economy in general and the steel sector in particularl, the CEO said, “This year is going to be very different from the ones before. It seems that severe impact of COVID-19 on the economy is going to cause a paradigm shift in the behaviour of the market. Friends, let each one of us be a Baimundi for our Steel Plant. Let’s confront every challenge however colossal it might be with collective will. Let’s think beyond, think ahead and instill passion in every action of ours, so that we can do things differently.”