KB Ispat to expand capacity & set up sponge iron plant at Bhavnagar

GNN | May 30, 2017, 6:15 PM IST|

Bhavnagar based KB Ispat Pvt Ltd is ramping up capacities and setting up a sponge iron plant at its existing factory at a total cost of Rs20cr. The company has chalked out plans to install two additional induction furnaces having capacity of 20TPH to take up production of MS Billets from 25,100 to 226,100 t/y. The capacity of TMT bars, angels, channels will be taken up from 18,000 t/y to 158,000 t/y and a rotary kiln will be set up to produce 36,500 t/y sponge iron.
The factory spread out in 38,032.82-square metres is located at Manglana village in Sihor taluka on the Bhavnagar Vallabhipur highway. The expansion work is likely to start once KB Ispat gets the mandatory clearance at a Gujarat Pollution Control Board organised public hearing scheduled for June 20, 2017.
In this capacity expansion project, sponge iron and scrap are used as raw material for the production of billets. Based upon the composition of the molten steel, additives are added to get requisite composition and grade of steel. MS Billets are produced and dispatched after inspection. Iron ore and coal will be used for production of sponge iron in rotary kiln.
With the expansion, KB Ispat’s raw material need would also go up. It will now need 248,710 t/y of iron scrap, 12435 t/y of sponge iron, 42,235 t/y of coal sponge iron, 2765 t/y of reheating furnace, 58,500 t/y of iron ore and 365 t/y of lime.
The present site is selected as the company has an existing plant in operation. Also no rehabilitation or resettlement is required. There are no national parks, biosphere reserves and wildlife sanctuaries including the notified eco sensitive areas within 10 km radius. Also there are no archaeological monuments, interstate boundary and defense installations within 10km radius. The area also does not have any notified critically polluted area and neither had any nallah/water body, public roads and forests within the project site.
GNN understands there was availability of raw material in the area alongwith availability of water -- 180 m3/day from Gujarat Water Infrastructure Ltd, assured power supply from Gujarat State Electricity Board (Paschim Gujarat Vij Co Ltd), availability of manpower and market for finished products.
The existing water requirement is 30 m3/day with additional 150 m3/day water needed for proposed expansion project. Water is basically required for cooling tower make-up, domestic and other miscellaneous requirements.
GNN hears the proposed expansion project will come up at the existing site and no additional land will be required. The land is owned by the company and NA permission has been obtained.
With the expansion, there will also be a big increase in the solid waste generated by the company. Generation of slag, a non-hazardous, non-toxic material will go up from 600 t/y to 5800 t/y. This slag will be used for hardening of internal roads, working area and concreting. Similarly tail cutting will go up from 200 t/y to 2280 t/y. This is used in induction furnace. The company will also generate 9450 t/y of another solid waste – Dolachar which will be supplied to cement and power plants.