The Steel Authority of India Limited’s Bhilai Steel Plant has raised production to record levels in the first half of the financial year.
BSP’s Universal Rail Mill (URM) has recorded the highest ever H1 production of 2, 95,228 tons of prime rails. Their previous best was 2,38,842 tons in the first half of 2019-20. In all, this showed a growth of 24%, according to data from BSP.
Also included in this figure are 12,233 tons of vanadium alloyed R-260 grade rails. The first batch of these rails was supplied to Indian Railways in July 2020.
Indian Railways’ key rail supplier plans commencement of the production of head-hardened rails in this financial year. HH rails are primarily meant for heavy freight corridors and metro rail networks.
BSP also recorded the highest prime rail production of 5,94,983 tons from both the Universal Rail Mill (URM) and the Rail & Strl Mill (RSM) as against previous best of 5,89,391 tons in H1 of 2019-20.
The plant also registered a growth of 25.4% in the production of UTS 90 prime rails in Q2 over that in Q1 of current FY. This is inclusive of RSM recording growth of 11.4% and URM recording growth of 37% in Q2 over Q1.
Loading of UTS-90 prime rails at 6,00,399 tons in H1 has also beaten the 5,70,737 tons loaded in H1 of 2019-20. There was also a growth of 23.5 % in the long rail panel dispatch in H1 this FY over the same period last year, according to a statement released by the organization.
