Page 17 - Steel Tech India eMagazine Volume April 2022

VOL. 16 • NO. 3 • April 2022
Carbon Neutral DRI/Steel Making - Beginning of a

New Era?

Deependra Kashiva
Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association, INDIA

1. Indian DRI Industry In early 90’s three gas based DRI plants were set up in
the west coast due to the availability of natural gas at
Forty years old Indian DRI industry made a modest that time, Due to the non availability of natural gas at
beginning when a demonstration plant was set up at competitive price and uncertainty about it availability on
Paloncha, district Khammam, telengana to test the continuous basis, no greenfield natural gas based DRI/
suitability of Indian iron ore and non coking coal based hBI plant came up after1994 (27 years).however, one
on lurgi technology, Germany. this was necessitated coal gas (syn gas) based plant and one corex based
to conserve second highest foreign exchange outgo plant were set up.
due to the import of steel melting scrap to meet the
domestic metallics requirement. thereafter, other coal 1.1 Capacity
based DRI plants like IPI tata Steel, Bihar Sponge Iron the current operating capacity is 49.273 million tonnes
ltd, Odisha Sponge iron ltd etc were set up. Major per annum. the DRI operating capacity build up from
growth in coal based sector tooknplacefrom 2003-04 2015 - 16 to 2021-22 is as follows:
to 2008-09.
All figures are in ‘000 tonnes

Year 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22
Capacity 43360 46070 49617 46556 47849 47849 49273

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