Union Minister for Steel Virbhadra Singh dedicated the new 0.8-million tonne Slab Caster Complex in Steel Melting Shop (SMS)-II of the Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
The new slab caster complex has been installed at a sanctioned expenditure of over Rs 520 crore.
The Minister also laid the foundation stone of a new 4-million tonne per annum capacity SMS-III complex at BSP. The shop will come up with an estimated cost of around Rs 3,500 crore.
The Slab Caster and Ladle Furnace were installed by a consortium led by M/s Danieli & C of Italy and RH Degasser was installed by a consortium led by M/s Siemens VAI, Germany. The commissioning of the Ladle Furnace was done in June 2008 and the Performance Guarantee test was successfully completed in May 2009.
The new Caster will further enhance Bhilai’s steel-making capabilities. It will facilitate replacement and modernisation of existing casters.
