Steel Plants in India

India is the world's second-largest producer of crude steel, after only China. According to the World Steel Association, it produced 82.68 million tonnes of total finished steel and 9.7 million tonnes of raw iron, accounting for 51% of total global output.

Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) was formed in 1973 to oversee the growth of the steel industry.  During the Second Five Year Plan, Bhilai, Durgapur, and Rourkela were established. 

The steel factories in Salem, Vijai Nagar, and Vishakhapatnam were constructed during the Third Five Year Plan, while the steel plants at Bokaro were established during the Fourth Five Year Plan.

In 1991 and 1992, the Indian steel industry was delicensed and decontrolled. 

Mini steel plants and integrated steel plants are the two types of steel plants in India. Medium and small businesses generate almost half of the country's steel.

Today, the iron and steel industry earns the maximum foreign exchange for India.

Basic Facts

• The 2nd Largest Producer of Crude Steel in the World – India.
• The Largest Producer of Crude Steel in the World – China.
• The 3rd Largest Producer of Crude Steel in the World – Japan.
• World's Largest Producer of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) or Sponge Iron – India.
• The largest mineral-based industry in India – Iron & Steel.
• The metal used with iron in the production of steel – Chromium.
• Stainless Steel is an alloy of  – Iron, Chromium & Nickel.
• First steel plant in India – Portonova (Tamil Nadu, 1830).
• Largest Steel Plant in India – Bokaro.
• Largest steel-producing state in India – Odisha.
• First Large scale iron and steel Company in India – Kulti (West Bengal, 1870;  by Bengal Iron Works).
• Later became Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO). 
• First iron and steel industry of Modern India was established in – Jamshedpur (TISCO).
• Largest producer of steel in the Private sector in India – Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO).
• First Steel Plant in South India – Visvesvaraya Steel Plant (Karnataka, 1923).
• First (and only) shore-based integrated steel plant in India – Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
• Steel Plants established during the Second Five-year plan – Durgapur, Bhilai & Rourkela.
• First Public sector Steel Plants of Independent India – Durgapur, Bhilai & Rourkela.
• First public sector integrated steel plant in India – Rourkela.
• First steel plant in Asia to use the LD (Linz-Donawitz) technology for steel-making process – Rourkela.
• Most Profitable Steel Plant in India – Bhilai.
• The Bhilai steel plant is located on the banks of – Sheonath.
• The governing body for public sector iron and steel manufacturing plants in India – Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
• Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) –
• Headquarters –  New Delhi.
• Established on – January 24, 1973.
• First Chairman – M.A. Wadud Khan. 
• Current Chairman – Soma Mondal.
• A Maharatna Company.
• Predecessor of SAIL – Hindustan Steel Limited (January 19, 1954).
• 20th Largest Steel Producing Firm in the World – SAIL.
  
• The major producer of world-class Stainless Steel in India – Salem Steel Plant (SAIL).
• The main steel producers in India – SAIL, TISCO & RINL.
• The Plateau with the maximum concentration of Iron and Steel Plants  – Chotanagar Plateau.

Hematite (Fe₂O₃) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) are the most important iron ores in India.

Public Sector Steel Plants Under SAIL

The table below lists all the public sector steel plants under the Steel Authority of India Ltd.

Place	Collaboration with	State	Year
Bhilai	Russia	Chattisgarh	1955
Bokaro	Russia	Jharkhand	1964
Rourkela	Germany	Odisha (Sundargarh)	1955
Durgapur	Britain	West Bengal	1959
IISCO	Acquired from Pvt. Sector (1976)	West Bengal (Burnpur)	1918
Salem	–	Tamil Nadu	1981
Visvesvaraya	–	Karnataka (Bhadravati)	1923

Code: BhiRUCha (ഭീരുച) , BoRUJha (ബോരുജ) , RaGe O (രാജി ഒ), DuBri B (ഡുബ്രി ബി)

or ഭീരു, ബോരു, രാജി, ഡുബ്രി

Major Iron and Steel Plants in India

Some of the important Iron and Steel industries that are found in India is as follows – 

1. Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCo)

• Formerly known as – Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCO).
• The Oldest iron and steel factory in India.
• The largest producer of steel in the Private sector in India.
• 10th Largest Steel Producing Company in the World. 
• Founder – Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata.
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Established on – August 26, 1907.
• Location – Jamshedpur.
• Steel City of India – Jamshedpur.
• Earlier name of Jamshedpur – Sakchi.
• Also known as TataNagar.
• TISCO is situated on the confluence of – Subarnarekha & Kharkai.
• The British viceroy who renamed 'Sakchi' as 'Jamshedpur' to honor its founder Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata – Lord Chelmsford (1919).
• Coal is obtained from –  Jharia & Raniganj coalfields.
• Water is obtained from – Subarnarekha River.
• Limestone is obtained from – Sundergarh (Odisha).
• Manganese is obtained from – Joda mines (Odisha).
• Hematite iron ore is obtained from –  Naomundi (Jharkhand) & Badampahar (Mayurbhanj).
• Main Production – Pig iron & Acid steel (used for making railway wheels, high-grade steel, bars, bolts, steel casting, axles, and tinplates) 

2. Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO) 

• Established on – 1918.
• Headquarters – Burnpur (Asansol), West Bengal.
• IISCO was formed by the merger of – Indian Iron and Steel Company & Steel Corporation of Bengal in 1952.
• Three steel plants  – 
1. Kulti, 
2. Hirapur, 
3. Burnpur.
• Brought under government control in July 1972.
• Coal – Ramnagar mines (Jharia).
• Water – Damodar River.
• Iron ore – Gua mines (Jharkhand) & Mayurbhanj (Odisha).
• Limestone & Manganese – Gangapur (Odisha).

3. Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Limited (VISL) 

• Formerly known as – Mysore Iron and Steel Limited.
• Established on – January 18, 1923
• Headquarters – Bhadravati, Karnataka.
• Founded by – Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar.
• Became a public undertaking in 1962.
• Water – Bhadra River.
• Iron ore – Baba Budan Hills (Karnataka).
• Limestone – Bandigudda limestone mines (Karnataka).
• Manganese – Shimoga & Chitradurga (Karnataka).
• Main Production – Alloy Steel & Pig iron.

4. Durgapur Iron and Steel Plant

• Established on – 1959.
• Headquarters – Durgapur, Bardhaman district, West Bengal. 
• Proposed during the second five-year plan.
• with the collaboration of Britain.
• Coal – Jharia & Raniganj. 
• Water – Damodar River.
• Limestone – Birmitrapur (Odisha).
• Manganese – Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh).
• Iron ore – Singhbhum (Jharkhand) & Kendujhar mines (Odisha).
• Main Production – Ingot steel.

5. Bhilai Iron and Steel Plant

• Established on – 1955.
• Started production in 1959.
• Headquarters – Bhilai, Chhattisgarh
• Proposed during the second five-year plan. 
• with the collaboration of Russia.
• The largest steel plant in India.
• Started production in 1962.
• Coal – Korba Coalfield (Chhattisgarh) & Bokaro & Jharia (Jharkhand). 
• Water – Tandula Dam (Chhattisgarh).
• Limestone – Nandini Mines (Bhilai).
• Manganese – Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh) & Bhandara mines (Maharashtra).
• Iron ore – Dalli Rajhara (Chhattisgarh). 
• Main Production – Pig iron & Crude steel.

6. Rourkela Iron and Steel Plant

• Established on – 1959.
• Headquarters –  Rourkela, Odisha.
• Proposed during the second five-year plan. 
• with the collaboration of Germany (viz. Krupp & Demag).
• The first integrated steel plant in the public sector in India.
• The first blast furnace – Parvati.
• Located at the confluence of Sankh & Koel Rivers. 
• Coal & Coking coal – Jharia coalfields (Jharkhand) &  Talcher Coalfields (Odisha).
• Water – Brahmani River.
• Limestone – Gangapur (Odisha).
• Manganese – Sundargarh (Odisha).
• Iron ore – Baba Budan hills (Karnataka) & Mayurbhanj.
• Electricity – Hirakud Dam Project.
• Main Production – Hot-rolled sheets, cold-rolled sheets, and electrical steel plates.

7. Bokaro Iron and Steel Plant

• Established on – 1964.
• Headquarters –  Bokaro, Jharkhand.
• Set up during fourth five year plan.
• with the collaboration of Russia.
• The second plant set up with the help of Soviet Union.
• Started production in 1972.
• Coal – Bokaro, Jharia & Kargali Coalfields.
• Water – Damodar River.
• Limestone – Palamu district (Jharkhand).
• Manganese – Hiri mines (Chhattisgarh).
• Iron ore – Kiriburu (Jharkhand).
• Main Production – Hot-rolled sheets, cold-rolled sheets.

Mission Purvodaya

• Launched in – January 12, 2020.
• Aim – accelerated development of eastern India through the establishment of an integrated steel hub in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The focus will be on the eastern Indian states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal, as well as the northern section of Andhra Pradesh, which possesses 80 percent of the country's iron ore deposits, 100 percent of coking coal reserves, and a substantial amount of chromite, bauxite, and dolomite reserves.

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📝SideNotes:

• Ruhr of India – Chotanagar Plateau.
• Father of Indian Industry – Jamsetji Tata.
• The Bengal Iron Works was founded by – James Erskine (1870).
• Chhattisgarh – 
• Formed in – November 1, 2000.
• Capital – Raipur.
• was part of Madhya Pradesh.
• Capital of Jharkand – Ranchi.
• Union Minister for Steel – Jyotiraditya M Scindia.
• Ingot Steel – a type of carbon steel made from low-carbon iron ore mixed with  elements like silicon, manganese, chromium, nickel, vanadium, molybdenum, or tungsten.
• First Woman Functional Director & the First Woman Chairperson of SAIL – Soma Mondal.
• World's first fossil-free steel was manufactured in – Sweden (Company: Hybrit, 2021).

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