Minister of Steel inaugurates Silica Reduction Plant Project at SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant’s Dalli Mines

Tags: Economy/Finance National News

Union Minister of Steel and Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia virtually inaugurated the Silica Reduction Plant at Dalli Mines of Bhilai Steel Plant of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) from New Delhi on 23 June.

An overview of the news

• SAIL's silica reduction plant was inaugurated virtually and is located at the company's Dalli iron ore mine.

• This enables SAIL to utilize low-grade ore from Dalli mines through beneficiation process.

• About 80 per cent of the iron ore reserves present in the mine have already been utilised.

• The newly inaugurated plant will improve the iron (Fe) content by 62-64 per cent and reduce the silica content by 2-3 per cent.

• SAIL Chairman Amarendu Prakash emphasized the need to refine iron ore of size less than 1 mm to obtain the desired grade for effective use in blast furnaces at SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP).

• The Silica Reduction Plant has been set up with an investment of about Rs 149 crore and is equipped with state-of-the-art beneficiation equipment.

• Its operation will increase iron ore supply to BSP, which will lead to higher annual production from blast furnace, reduce coke consumption and reduce carbon emissions.

• SAIL, functioning under the Ministry of Steel, is one of the leading steel producers in India with an annual capacity of about 20 million tonnes.

Bhilai Steel Plant

• It is located in Bhilai of Chhattisgarh state.

• A ten-time winner of the Prime Minister's Trophy for Best Integrated Steel Plant in the country, Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) is a flagship unit of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), a Government of India undertaking.

• It produces high strength rails, heavy structures, broad and heavy steel plates of various grades, commercial products, wire rods etc. Bhilai became the first integrated steel plant in the country to cross the 5 MT mark in crude oil production in the year 2005-06.

• Bhilai has the unique distinction of having the cleanest rail network in the world.