After phenomenal success in captive power generation by using 100 per cent blast furnace gases, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited is establishing a 5 MW solar power plant at a cost of Rs.33 crore. This is in tune with the government guidelines to tap natural and renewable energy sources.
The work on setting up of the solar power plant has been awarded to the Indore-based Ujaas Energy Ltd. Civil works have already been started. The plant is expected to be commissioned within three months. The plant will come up at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
RINL Chairman and Managing Director P. Madhusudan told The Hindu that the role of new and renewable energy had been assuming increasing significance in recent times with the growing concern for the country’s energy security.
Green initiatives
RINL has emerged as a trend-setter in launching several green-friendly initiatives. It has set up a power plant by utilising 100 per cent blast furnace gas at a cost of Rs.676 crore. This is the first of its kind in Indian steel industry. The plant was recently synchronised with the State Grid. The average power requirement of VSP to produce 6.3 million tonne per annum will be 418 MW. RINL is currently having three turbo generators each 60 MW (180 MW) capacity and two turbo generators of 67.5 (135MW) each taking the total captive generation capacity to 315 MW.
For tapping the waste energy, it has been using state-of-the-art technologies. As part of waste energy recovery in the expansion and modernisation of the existing units, RINL has taken several initiatives, including generation of 20.6 MW from Sinter Heat Recovery Power Plant (SHRPP) under Green Aid Plan of Japan (NEDO Project) built at a cost of Rs.300 crore. It will generate 14 MW from waste heat recovery system in Coke Oven Battery-4 and another 14 MW from Top Pressure Recovery Turbine from blast furnace-3.
With the completion of these projects, power generation through waste energy will rise to 62 per cent of the total installed capacity of 523 MW, one of the highest in the Indian steel industry.
Source:The Hindu
