Rourkela: Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) is gearing up for a fresh expansion programme to raise its capacity to 7 million tonne (MT) for which SAIL has already approved a plan.

Presently RSP, a unit of SAIL, is carrying out the final phase of the modernisation-II , which will enable it to increase its capacity to 4 MTPA. With the third phase, its capacity will go up to 7 MTPA, this was disclosed by state transport and commerce minister Subrat Tarai, who had held a discussion with SAIL chairman C S Verma .

During my meeting with C S Verma I made a suggestion for further increasing the capacity of RSP and the SAIL chairman told me that the proposal for enhancing the capacity to 7 MT of the plant has already been accepted and work will begin soon, Tarai said.

The minister, who represents Raghunathpalli Assembly segment, said a proposal has also been sent for enhancing RSP's capacity further to 10 MTPA in due course keeping in view the growing need of steel in the country and global market.

Tarai said he also requested Verma to consider giving back surplus land available with RSP to Odisha government so that housing and other projects can be taken up there.
He said the SAIL chief assured him that the matter would be considered ‘once a proposal comes from the state government in this regard’.