Bhilai Steel output up

SAIL's flagship, Bhilai Steel Plant, has recorded its best ever hot metal production of 1.25 lakh tonne in October this year, surpassing its previous best in September 2007 by six per cent.

The plant has recorded growth in all areas for the period April-October 2007. While production of electrode quality (EQ) wire rods at 1.09 lakh tonne was 51.1 per cent more than the same period last year, in TMT wire rods the increase was 176 per cent.

The plant's wire rod mill produced 1.24 lakh tonne of TMT wire rods so far, compared to 45,100 tonnes in April-October 2006.

The growth in the production of TMT bars has increased 105 per cent with the plant's merchant mill producing 2.05 lakh tonnes of value added products compared to around one lakh tonne.

The plant's rail and structural mill has loaded 1.22 lakh tonnes of 26 metre long rails during April-October compared to 91,900 tonnes, an increase of 33.9 per cent. The growth in loading of the 130metre and 260 metre long rail welded panels has been over 29 per cent with the mill loading 52, 583tonnes of long rails compared to 40,700 tonnes.

In the area of flat products, the plant has recorded a growth of over per 100 per cent in production of boiler quality plates with the plate mill producing 61,463 tonnes of special steel grade in April-October 2007.

The growth in production of high tensile plates has been 33.6 per cent with the mill producing 83,119 tonnes of this value-added flat product as compared to 62,200 tonnes during the same period last year.