SAIL steel output up 6%, exports up 32%

Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has achieved an all-time high saleable steel production of over 12 million tonne during the financial year 2005-06 and highest-ever total sales of over 11.2 million tonne during the year.

The performance was possible because the steel major's blast furnaces operated at a record-breaking 107 per cent average capacity utilisation, enabling best-ever production of hot metal at 14.6 million tonne, an increase of 11 per cent and crude steel at 13.5 million tonne, an eight per cent growth.

In volume terms, the SAIL plants produced an additional one million tonne of crude steel and 7.5 lakh tonne of saleable steel during the year.

According to SAIL officials, the performance was supported by the captive mines meeting 100 per cent requirement of iron ore with all-time best despatches of 22 million tonne.

The special steels plants of SAIL also recorded highest-ever saleable steel production of 4.2 lakh tonne - a growth of 12 per cent. Exports of steel by SAIL at half a million tonne showed a growth of 32 per cent.

Commenting on the performance, SAIL chairman V S Jain said, "The record-breaking physical performance has generated confidence amongst the SAIL collective of reaching the growth targets that have been set for 2011-12 in a systematic manner."