Pathways to Green Steel: Technology and Economics

Performance of the Indian Steel Industry in April 2026

In a reflection of the evolving dynamics within the Indian steel sector, April 2026 witnessed notable developments in production and trade figures. 

The country’s crude steel production reached 14.086 Million Tonnes (MT) in April 2026, marking a robust growth of 5.8% compared to the same period last year (CPLY). In parallel, hot metal production also showed promising results, totalling 7.990 MT and registering a growth of 5.4% over CPLY.

However, not all segments performed positively. The production of pig iron experienced a setback, declining to 0.691 MT in April 2026, which represents a decrease of 6.0% from the prior year. 

On the finished steel front, production reached 13.046 MT in April 2026, reflecting a growth of 3.4% over CPLY. This was complemented by an increase in imports of finished steel, which soared by 30.8% to 0.679 MT. Exports also saw a significant rise, climbing to 0.469 MT, up 24.9% from CPLY.

Furthermore, domestic consumption of finished steel showcased strong demand, hitting 12.985 MT in April 2026 and achieving a growth of 8.1% over the same month last year.

Tata Steel Consolidated EBITDA Jumps 35% YoY Amid Challenging Environment

Tata Steel has recently announced its results for FY2025-26, reporting a 35% YoY increase in consolidated EBITDA to Rs. 34,848 Crores, translating to Rs. 10,900 or $124 per tonne, despite a challenging operating environment. Consolidated revenues for the financial year stood at Rs. 2,32,140 Crores, while PAT reached Rs. 10,886 Crores, reflecting improved operational efficiencies, higher volumes, and resilient performance across geographies.

The company’s India1 revenues came in at Rs. 1,40,302 Crores and EBITDA of Rs 34,272 Crores, translating into an EBITDA margin of 24%. EBITDA from the India business improved 17% YoY, aided by ‘best ever’  crude steel production of approximately 23.4 MT. Deliveries of around 22.5 MT, supplemented by an expanding downstream portfolio across Tubes, Tinplate, Colours & Wires, in line with the strategy of strengthening the company’s leadership position across chosen high-value segments. Tata Steel Netherlands also witnessed a significant improvement in performance, with revenues of €6,028 Million and EBITDA of €267 Million, nearly three times higher than the previous year. In the UK, revenues stood at £1,978 Million, while EBITDA losses almost halved to £217 Million.

For the January–March 2026 quarter, Tata Steel reported consolidated revenues of Rs. 63,270 Crores and EBITDA of Rs. 9,953 Crores, representing a YoY growth of 47%, with EBITDA margins of around 16%. The India1 revenues were Rs. 38,654 Crores and EBITDA of Rs. 9,841 Crores, translating to a margin of 25%. Crude steel production in India increased 14% YoY to 6.22 MT, resulting in ‘best ever quarterly’ deliveries of 6.19 MT. Tata Steel Netherlands reported revenues of €1,605 Million and EBITDA of €58 Million during the quarter, with liquid steel production at 1.63 MT and deliveries at 1.70 MT. In the UK, revenues stood at £470 Million, while EBITDA losses reduced further to £48 Million. Deliveries stood at 0.52 MT and were impacted by subdued demand dynamics.

Furthermore, Tata Steel spent Rs. 3,655 Crores on capital expenditure during the quarter and Rs 14,026 Crores for the full year, while  net debt declined by ~Rs. 2,285 Crores YoY to Rs. 80,144 Crores. The Board of Directors has recommended a dividend of Rs. 4 per ordinary equity share of face value Re. 1 each.

T. V. Narendran, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, said that the company’s sustained focus on operational discipline and cost transformation continued to deliver performance across its global businesses amid the geoeconomic uncertainty.

Koushik Chatterjee, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer, added that Tata Steel delivered a markedly improved performance for the second year in a row, despite subdued steel prices across key markets. He emphasised the company’s focus on prioritising, optimising and sequencing its capital allocation to balance investment needs with returns, while maintaining financial discipline and long?term value creation for stakeholders.

SAIL-RSP Sets New Production Records with Danieli Plate Mill

SAIL’s Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) in India has reached remarkable operational results, thanks to its state-of-the-art 4.3-m-wide plate mill supplied by Danieli. The plant has not only met but surpassed its rated annual capacity, achieving new production milestones.

Designed to roll 920,000 tpy of plate products, the new plate mill has impressively exceeded this capacity, recording an annual production of 993,000 tonnes. This achievement marks the second consecutive year of record-breaking performances for the facility.

During this same production cycle, RSP registered multiple operational benchmarks: a new single-day rolling record exceeding 5,100 tonnes of plates, a slab-rolling record of more than 380 slabs per day, and an impressive shift tonnage record of over 1,800 tonnes. These results highlight the reliability of the mill’s process control systems and automation platforms, as well as the quality of Danieli’s equipment.

The plate mill is designed to deliver a wide range of demanding products, including API pipeline steels, shipbuilding plates and special grades for advanced engineering uses, including defence applications. Danieli plate-rolling technology ensures wide-width capability, precise dimensional tolerances, and the flexibility required to respond to evolving domestic and export market demands.

These outstanding achievements not only reflect the technological maturity of the Danieli plate mill solution but also underscore the strong operational commitment of the SAIL Rourkela team in their pursuit of continuous production improvements.