SAIL Reworks ₹30,000-Crore Rourkela Steel Plant Expansion Plan

Steel Authority of India (SAIL) is planning to scale down the proposed greenfield expansion of its Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) in Odisha from 5 MTPA to roughly 3 MTPA. Budget constraints, delays in finalising the proposal, and tribal protests at Barkani—which have stalled a key railway line project—are the primary reasons behind the revision. Consultancy firm MECON recently submitted a detailed project report (DPR) for a 3.1 MTPA expansion. RSP, which currently operates at an installed capacity of 4.65 MTPA, was originally slated to expand to 9.80 MTPA at an estimated cost of ₹30,000 crore. Meanwhile, SAIL’s broader capacity expansion projects at its IISCO, Durgapur, and Bhilai plants remain on track.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.