The NMDC Limited-owned 3-million tonnes per annum (mtpa) Nagarnar Integrated Steel Plant (NISP) is being plagued by delay worries. The Russia-Ukraine war is having a spin-off effect and the plant’s commissioning will likely be delayed by a month from the commissioning schedule internally shared and available to SteelMint.
The plant was supposed to go onstream from March this year and start production of hot rolled coils from July, 2022. The coke oven battery plant was to be commissioned in April, for which the heating had been launched in February. This needs 90 days before it can start operating.
The technology is being provided by a Ukrainian company, Giprokoks, whose officials were supposed to be present at the time of the commissioning of COB1# (coke pushing) in April. Officials from this company had been present in February when the COB heating had started.
However, now, due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the plans have been pushed back to May since Ukraine company’s officials will not be present for the COB1# coke pushing. Without their technical support, it will not be possible to commission COB1 in April.
In fact, it is now uncertain if the commissioning can happen even in May since the geo-political crisis may not end by then. NMDC and Mecon, which has been awarded the operations and maintenance contract for the plant for three years, may have to take a stand on whether it wants to go ahead with the commissioning without Giprokok officials’ presence or not.
Blast furnace runs into trouble
Another reason that could delay the plant is the problem run into by the blast furnace. It seems Tata Projects Limited (TPL) had apprised NMDC at a meeting where Mecon, TPL, DCBV, DCI and Calderys representatives were present that the cast house runner refractory was to be completed by 15 March, 2019. It was clearly mentioned that the refractory could not be kept in the same condition for not more than 3-4 months, which meant the runner refractory should have been put into operation in the said period.
Now three years have passed and the refractory has been kept with sand filled and without heating. Therefore, TPL’s warranty and guarantee now stand invalid. SteelMint heard that TPL now wants another work order to undertake the same job.
The BF blow-in by TPL, stove heating and furnace drying were supposed to have happened in June this year.
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