The state-of-the-art furnace named Kalyani, blown-in at midnight in presence of chairman C S Verma, has a useful volume of 4160 cubic meter and has now become the biggest operating blast furnace in the country, SAIL said in a statement today.
Prior to this, the largest Blast Furnace of the country was installed by Sail at its Rourkela Steel Plant in 2013 having a useful volume of 4060 cubic meter.
"With this, IISCO Steel Plant is firmly on course to regain its glorious past," Verma said.
The other major upstream and downstream units of the new steel plant -- coke oven battery, sinter plant, basic oxygen furnaces, continuous casters and the wire rod mill have already commenced operations.