Jindal Steel has achieved a significant milestone in its expansion project in Odisha, India, with the commissioning of a 3 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) Basic Oxygen Furnace (BoF) at its integrated steel plant in Angul. This addition increases the plant’s crude steelmaking capacity from 6 MTPA to 9 MTPA, marking a crucial step in the company’s Rs 20,000 crore investment plan to scale up operations to 12 MTPA.
The newly commissioned 250 MT BoF converter enables the plant to convert molten iron into steel using gaseous oxygen, a standard process in modern steel production. This enhancement strengthens Jindal Steel’s position as one of the largest single-location steel manufacturing units in India, capable of catering to both domestic and international markets.
In September, the company commissioned a 5 MTPA blast furnace, named the ‘Bhagavati Subhadrika’, which doubled hot metal capacity from 4 MTPA to 9 MTPA. The blast furnace has a useful volume of 5,499 cubic meters, making it one of the world’s largest and most advanced.
Jindal Steel’s long-term strategy is to boost Odisha’s steelmaking capabilities, with plans to eventually scale the Angul facility to 12 MTPA in the near term and target 25 MTPA over the next six years, making it the world’s largest single-location steel plant. The company has already invested close to Rs 1 lakh crore in the state and plans an additional Rs 70,000 crore for capacity expansion and green steel initiatives.
In addition to expanding its steel production capacity, Jindal Steel is also investing in green steel initiatives. The company is partnering with Jindal Renewable Power Private Limited (JRPL) for green hydrogen production in Angul, with the first phase aiming for 4,500 tonnes per annum by December 2025. This green hydrogen will be used in DRI units for low-carbon steelmaking, making it India’s largest green hydrogen investment by a steelmaker.