Notably, Blast Furnace – 4 had commenced its sixth campaign after relining on 8 September 2020 and was subsequently blown down on 5th July 2024. Following an extended shutdown, the furnace underwent shotcreting and associated repair activities, and was readied for restart in July 2026. The successful blowing-in marks the culmination of meticulous planning, coordinated execution, and dedicated efforts by the Blast Furnace collective, with valuable support from various associated departments.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Alok Verma, conveyed his best wishes to the Blast Furnace team for the safe, stable, and successful commencement of operation of BF–4. He emphasised the need to reduce the cost of hot metal by improving operational efficiency and optimising key techno-economic parameters, specifically highlighting the importance of lowering the coke rate, increasing the pulverised coal injection (PCI) rate, and achieving higher hot-blast temperatures to enhance the overall performance and competitiveness of the furnace.

Mr. Palai, congratulated the Blast Furnace team and all supporting departments on the timely completion of the repair and restart activities. He appreciated the collective commitment demonstrated by the teams and stressed the need for sustained efforts to improve the techno-economic performance of BF–4.

Mr. Sumeet Kumar, Chief General Manager, Blast Furnaces, expressed gratitude to the DIC, EDs and other senior officers for their guidance, encouragement, and good wishes. He congratulated the entire Blast Furnace collective and acknowledged the invaluable contribution of all associated departments in achieving this important milestone.

The Micro Pellet Plant, the first of its kind in SAIL, has been established on a Construct, Operate and Maintain (COM) basis by M/s Shri Jagannath Steels & Power Ltd. The project has been set up with the objective of converting waste fines generated during the steelmaking process into value-added micro pellets for use in RSP’s sinter plants, thereby promoting circular economy and environmental sustainability and was commissioned ahead of targeted schedule.

Notably, the plant will process waste fines such as SMS and Blast Furnace sludges, ESP and bag filter dust, and other micron-sized iron-bearing materials that have accumulated over the years. Through a specialized agglomeration process, these materials will be converted into micro pellets of 1–6 mm size, making them suitable for utilization in the sinter making process.

The commissioning of the facility marks a major milestone in RSP’s journey towards cleaner, greener and more sustainable operations. Besides mitigating environmental concerns associated with waste disposal, the plant will enable recovery and reuse of valuable constituents such as iron (Fe), calcium oxide (CaO) and magnesium oxide (MgO), thereby reducing raw material consumption and enhancing overall process efficiency.

The Centre for Engineering & Technology (CET), Ranchi, served as the consultant for the project.

On Saturday, the SAIL chief inspected key expansion sites at the integrated steel plant, including the New Plate Mill, one of the facility’s major production units. He was accompanied by Verma, Executive Director (Works) Biswaranjan Palai and Executive Director (Projects) S. Pal Chowdhury. Following the site visit, Dr. Panda chaired a high-level review meeting at the Manthan Conference Hall, attended by RSP’s senior management, including executive directors, chief general managers, heads of departments and other officials.

Dr. Panda commended the plant’s performance and its achievements in setting production and operational benchmarks across several areas. He said the SAIL management had reposed significant confidence in RSP and expected the plant to play a pivotal role in the company’s future growth strategy. During the review, the CMD highlighted three strategic priorities for the steel major: strengthening workplace safety, maintaining equipment health to ensure operational efficiency, and increasing the production of value-added steel products to enhance competitiveness and profitability.

Director-in-Charge Alok Verma thanked the CMD for his guidance and reaffirmed the commitment of the RSP workforce to meeting the expectations of the SAIL management and contributing to the company’s long-term growth objectives.

The Performance Excellence Award for Shift In-charges, instituted in 2004, aims to motivate high performers at the Shift In-charge level by recognizing outstanding contributions in production, maintenance, services, cost, quality, industrial relations, and safety. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 7500/- along with a memento and a merit certificate.

This year the award received by Mr. Shanu Sinha, Deputy Manager, Sintering Plant-III, Mr. Managobinda Parida, AGM, Blast Furnaces, Mr. Udaya Narayan Shial, AGM, Steel Melting Shop-I, Mr. Simanchal Gouda, Senior Manager, New Plate Mill, Mr. Umakanta Rout, Asst Manager, Town Engineering, Mr. Vikash Kumar, Deputy Manager, BOM, OGOM, CMLO, Bolani and Mr. Kalandi Charan Behera, Junior Engineer, Cent. Mech. Maint.

Similarly the “Outstanding Performer as Leader” award, introduced in 2022, aims to motivate Heads of Departments/Principal Heads in the E7–E8 scale who demonstrate vision, resilience, excellence, and the ability to inspire teams and drive innovation. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 10,000/- along with a memento and a merit certificate. This year the proud recipient of the award was Mr. SS Roychowdhury, CGM, Incharge, Maintenance.

In similar line , the Safety Champion of the Year Award, introduced last year by DIC, aims to promote a strong safety culture by recognizing individuals who demonstrate leadership, proactive risk prevention, and commitment to workplace safety. The award honors those who go above and beyond to inspire safe practices and lead by example. Mr. Tripati Narayan Mishra, Deputy Manager, Power Distribution received the award this year that carries a cash prize of Rs. 10,000/- along with a memento, a merit certificate, and a Safety Helmet labeled “Safety Champion.”

The DIC along with Mr. Tarun Misra, ED (HR), Mr. B K Giri, ED (MD-CMLO), Mr. Biswaranjan Palai, ED (Works), Mr. Anil Kumar, ED (MM), Mr. M P Singh, ED (Mines, OGOM-CMLO), Mr. Rajesh Dasgupta, CGM (F&A)  and other senior officers visited several departments to extend New Year Greetings to the RSP Collective. The visit commenced from the Administrative Block. Thereafter at various locations like L&D Centre, NSPCL, RMHP Building, Blast Furnace#5, Steel Melting Shop-II, Coke Ovens, ED (Works) Office, Hot Strip Mill-2, New Plate Mill, ED (Projects) Office, Town Engineering Office and IGH New Conference Hall, Mr. Verma along with the top officials personally wished the employees and interacted with them. Ceremonial cake was cut at L&D Centre to commemorate the occasion.

During the interactions the Director In-Charge congratulated the RSP Collective for various achievements and emphasised on the importance of each and every department in the production chain of an integrated Steel Plant and how each unit can contribute in its own way in the success of the Plant. “The dedication, teamwork and resilience demonstrated by our employees across departments have been truly commendable. I encourage everyone to focus on specific areas to enhance productivity and further improve techno-economics. With collective commitment and focused execution, we can move steadily towards our goal of making RSP the lowest cost steel producer by 2029,” he added. Mr. Verma also emphasised nurturing subordinates by delegating at least one skill, which is essential for their growth and for building a stronger organisation.    He also expressed confidence that the Year 2026 will be even better than the past year and RSP will be touching new peaks of excellence in production.

The employees on their part expressed their commitment to do all that was needed to enable the organisation to achieve excellence in different fields of endeavour.