Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (Visakhapatnam Steel Plant), is setting up a 120-MW power plant based on blast furnace gas in an effort to meet its growing power requirements and reduce dependence on the State grid , according to sources.
The sources said RINL has always been adopting state-of- the-art technologies in tapping waste energy, becoming a trend-setter in captive power generation in the steel industry.
Waste energy recovery
As part of waste energy recovery in the expansion and upgradation of existing units, RINL is establishing the unit at a cost of Rs 677 crore.
The captive power plant will be operational later this year. Generation of another 20.6 MW from waste heat recovery on sinter cooler waste heat recovery system at sinter machines, generation of 14 MWs from water heat recovery system in coke oven battery, and 14 MWs more from top pressure recovery turbine in blast furnace-3 are the other projects in progress.
After the completion of the projects, power generation through waste energy will reach to 62 per cent of the total installed capacity of 523 MW.
Sources have said RINL envisages waste energy recovery technologies in the design stage itself to generate power. It currently has the capacity to generate 286.5 MW and with the expansion and upgradation of existing units, captive power generation will touch 523 MW.
A project is being implemented on sinter cooler waste heat recovery system under the Green Aid plan of Japan.
The project will generate 20.6 MW by using waste heat without burning any fossil fuels and is the first of its kind in the steel industry.
It will reduce carbon emissions to the extent of 2,20,616 tonnes annually.