Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), a unit of the Maharatna company Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), has registered its best-ever performance in 2025–26, achieving record output across key production units and setting new benchmarks in techno-economic efficiency.
Sources said the plant posted its highest-ever April–March performance in blast furnace operations, with both blast furnace-1 and 5 recording peak production levels. Blast furnace-1 produced 10.7 lakh tonnes of hot metal, while blast furnace-5 achieved 32.46 lakh tonnes, surpassing its previous output of 31.32 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.
Downstream units also reported robust gains due to improved capacity utilisation and operational stability. The new plate mill registered an all-time high production of over 9.93 lakh tonnes, posting a growth rate of 6.6 per cent. The hot strip mill-2 (HSM-2) followed suit with its best-ever performance, producing 26.7 lakh tonnes of HR coils, up 4.3 per cent over the previous fiscal.
The new sheet shearing line under HSM-2 emerged as a standout performer, recording a production of 3.14 lakh tonnes of HR plates, reflecting a sharp growth of 18.7 per cent year-on-year.
Significantly, the plant’s special plate plant, which caters to the defence sector, achieved its highest-ever output of 3,905 tonnes of special plates, surpassing the earlier record of 3,366 tonnes set in 2017–18. This milestone is particularly important given the strategic relevance of specialised steel in defence manufacturing.
In overall saleable steel production, Rourkela Steel Plant produced 41.65 lakh tonnes during FY26, exceeding last year’s output of 40.80 lakh tonnes and registering a steady growth of 2.1 per cent.
Beyond production volumes, the plant also set new records in several techno-economic parameters. The year saw best-ever achievements in coke rate, blast furnace productivity, and coal-to-hot metal ratio. The steel melting shop-2 recorded its highest-ever total metallic input, while significant gains were also made in reducing specific power and water consumption.
Steel plant officials attributed the strong performance to strict operational discipline, efficient resource utilisation, and a sustained focus on cost optimisation. They expressed confidence in achieving higher production and efficiency targets in the current financial year, with a renewed emphasis on new product development, inventory reduction, revenue maximisation, and better utilisation of industrial waste to strengthen profitability.
“The record-breaking performance of Rourkela Steel Plant not only reinforces its position within SAIL’s operational framework but also signals a broader momentum in India’s steel sector, driven by capacity enhancement, technological upgradation, and growing domestic demand,” said an RSP spokesperson.