The ambitious expansion work of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) aimed at raising its capacity with an investment of ` 16,000 crore is likely to be completed by the end of this year, Chairman of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) Chandrasekhar Verma said on Saturday.
Verma told mediapersons here after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here as part of the ongoing expansion and modernisation programme, a new state-of-the-art blast furnace is being constructed at the RSP, a unit of the public sector steel behemoth SAIL.
“The new blast furnace will enable the steel plant to raise its capacity to 4.5 mtpa from the existing 2 mtpa,” Verma said.
According to sources, he also agreed to consider proposals made by the Odisha Government for upgradation of RSP’s Ispat General Hospital (IGH) and setting up of a medical college there.
During the meeting, Naveen suggested expenditure on RSP’s peripheral area development be enhanced by the steel major. Naveen also sought public sector steel company’scooperation for mid-day meal programmes in schools of Rourkela municipal area.