“Today, we represent close to 10% of Elkem’s revenues, and we expect to double or triple our impact”

Performance of the Indian Steel Industry in April-March, 2024-25

Crude Steel Production: The industry produced 151.141 Million Tonnes (MT), reflecting a year-on-year growth of 4.7%.

Pig Iron Production: Recorded production reached 8.299 MT, marking a substantial increase of 12.7% compared to the previous year.

Hot Metal Production: Hot metal output was logged at 91.076 MT, achieving a year-on-year growth of 4.6%.

Finished Steel Production: The total production of finished steel amounted to 145.309 MT, with a year-on-year growth of 4.4%.

Finished Steel Imports: India imported 9.532 MT of finished steel, which represents an impressive year-on-year growth of 14.6%.

Finished Steel Exports: In contrast, the export figures for finished steel were recorded at 4.858 MT, showing a significant decline of 35.1% compared to last year.

Finished Steel Consumption: Domestic consumption surged to 150.234 MT, reflecting a robust growth of 10.2% year-on-year.

Trade Balance: Overall, India emerged as a net importer of finished steel during this period.

NSL Marks Historic Production Highs on April 13 and 14, 2025

Nagarnar Steel Limited (NSL) achieved historic operational milestones on April 13 and 14, 2025, delivering record-breaking production across all major units. This highlights the plant’s process excellence and growing strength in India’s steel sector.

On April 13, 2025, NSL’s Blast Furnace marked a significant milestone by producing 10,169 tonnes of hot metal in a single day. This output exceeded its designed maximum capacity, reaching a production rate of 2.26 tonnes/m³/day. Commissioned in August 2023, the furnace has a useful volume of 4,506 cubic metres and was originally designed for an average hot metal production of 9,500 TPD, with a rated peak of 9,900 TPD and a design rate of 2.2 tonnes/m³/day. Achieving this performance in such a short period underscores the technical excellence and operational discipline embedded in NSL’s processes.

On April 14, 2025, NSL achieved another record-breaking performance. The Sinter Plant registered its highest-ever daily production of 12,385 tonnes, the Hot Strip Mill reached a new benchmark with 8,260 tonnes of HR Coil production, and the Steel Melting Shop produced an impressive 47 heats and 8,600 tonnes of liquid steel in a single day, among other achievements. These results come at a time when NSL has consistently exceeded its rated performance levels, indicating a rising trajectory since its commissioning.

Amitava Mukherjee, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of NMDC Steel, said, “These historic performances by NSL mark a defining moment in our journey as a steel producer. Surpassing design capacities within months of commissioning demonstrates the extraordinary capabilities of our engineering, operations, and skilled teams. These achievements represent a bold statement of NSL’s readiness to take its place among India’s leading steelmakers.”

In line with its commitment to sustainable and cost-effective operations, NSL’s blast furnace is equipped with an advanced Pulverised Coal Injection (PCI) system designed to inject 150 kg of coal per tonne of hot metal (kg/THM). Notably, the company’s operations team has already achieved and stabilised injection rates beyond the design threshold, optimising fuel efficiency and reducing dependency on coke – a significant step toward greener steel production.

Overcoming delays and logistical hurdles, the team displayed exceptional planning, execution, and operational control to stabilise the plant and elevate NSL to a leading steel producer in India’s steel sector within months of commissioning.

NSL remains focused on pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence in steel production. With each milestone, the company reinforces its commitment to world-class manufacturing, national self-reliance, and sustainable progress.

Hoa Phat Invests in High-Quality Long Casting and Rolling Line from Primetals Technologies

Hoa Phat has signed a contract with Primetals Technologies to supply and implement a long product caster with a capacity of 1 million tonnes per year, along with a rolling line that has an annual capacity of 500,000 tonnes. This new line will enhance Hoa Phat Group’s ability to manufacture high-quality steel. The rolling line is anticipated to start operations in the third quarter of 2026, while the casting line is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter.

Primetals Technologies will design, supply, and install a billet/bloom/beam blank casting machine. The caster will feature a wide range of advanced solutions, including DynaGap Soft Reduction, which ensures superior internal strand quality. The casting area includes a standby solution for large-section-size casting, enabling the production of blooms and beam blanks for steel profiles up to 800 mm wide, which is ideal for the structural steel industry.

A comprehensive Level 1 and 2 automation system will provide precise control over the entire casting process. DynaPhase, a thermodynamic phase transformation model, will calculate the behaviour of steel during solidification based on thermal enthalpy, conductivity, and density. This data will feed into Dynacs 3D, a secondary-cooling model that computes the full 3D temperature profile along the strand, facilitating optimal adjustments of secondary-cooling setpoints. DynaGap Soft Reduction 3D will then apply dynamic roll-gap control to minimise centerline segregation and enhance internal strand quality.

Primetals Technologies will also deliver a complete package of high-quality wire rod rolling line equipment for Hoa Phat. This technology features a state-of-the-art long rolling processing line, including 18 no-housing stands and mill shears, a 10-stand eDrive NTM, and a Morgan RSM with integrated single-family rolling to ensure high product quality.

This setup will enable Hoa Phat to consistently produce premium products while reducing alloying and energy costs. Additional benefits include optimised coil packages through metallurgical in-line heat treatment, Morgan Water Boxes, and a Morgan Stelmor Controlled Cooling Conveyor.