The available coking coal stock in its yard, to run the last of its three furnaces, is expected to barely last for five-six days; if production stops it will be the first such instance since the steel plant opened in 1982.
As reported in these columns earlier this week, the process of producing hot metal liquid steel at Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited-Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (RINL-VSP) has started slowing down due to lack of funds and raw materials, primarily coking coal.
Its blast furnace, BF-3 Annapurna, was closed on Thursday (September 12, 2024). BF-1, Godavari, was already closed in March this year. Now only one of the three furnaces of the plant, Krishna, is functional with the available coking coal, which is expected to last for five to six days. If fresh coal stocks do not arrive, the third furnace will also have to be closed down and there will be no steel production at RINL-VSP, which will be the first such instance since the steel plant opened in 1982.