Posted on 16 Dec 2010
As Minnesota-based Mesabi Nugget nears the end of its first year of commercial production of iron nuggets, Indian firms continue to monitor the performance of Kobe Steel’s ITmk3 technology employed at the 500,000 tonnes/year works. Among these is state-owned Indian miner NMDC Ltd, which is in talks with Kobe to build an ITmk3-based nugget plant in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state. “We are waiting for the Minnesota works to stabilize,” NDMC chairman Rana Som tells Steel Business Briefing.
Though news of NMDC’s interest in Kobe’s technology emerged only in July, the two firms had quietly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a project feasibility study in April, SBB learns. This was just a month after Steel Authority of India Ltd and Kobe agreed to explore using ITmk3, as SBB reported. Meanwhile, India’s Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) decided against employing ITmk3 at its upcoming 6m t/y integrated steelworks in Odisha (formerly Orissa), SBB learns. Informed sources tell SBB that JSPL was concerned about the low availability of natural gas in Odisha and the technology being “expensive and not yet commercially proven in India”. JSPL is installing a 1.8m t/y coal gas-based direct reduced iron plant from Kobe-owned Midrex instead, as SBB reported. Meanwhile, India’s Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) decided against employing ITmk3 at its upcoming 6m t/y integrated steelworks in Odisha (formerly Orissa), SBB learns. Informed sources tell SBB that JSPL was concerned about the low availability of natural gas in Odisha and the technology being “expensive and not yet commercially proven in India”. JSPL is installing a 1.8m t/y coal gas-based direct reduced iron plant from Kobe-owned Midrex instead, as SBB reported. Though news of NMDC’s interest in Kobe’s technology emerged only in July, the two firms had quietly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a project feasibility study in April, SBB learns. This was just a month after Steel Authority of India Ltd and Kobe agreed to explore using ITmk3, as SBB reported. Meanwhile, India’s Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) decided against employing ITmk3 at its upcoming 6m t/y integrated steelworks in Odisha (formerly Orissa), SBB learns. Informed sources tell SBB that JSPL was concerned about the low availability of natural gas in Odisha and the technology being “expensive and not yet commercially proven in India”. JSPL is installing a 1.8m t/y coal gas-based direct reduced iron plant from Kobe-owned Midrex instead, as SBB reported. Meanwhile, India’s Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) decided against employing ITmk3 at its upcoming 6m t/y integrated steelworks in Odisha (formerly Orissa), SBB learns. Informed sources tell SBB that JSPL was concerned about the low availability of natural gas in Odisha and the technology being “expensive and not yet commercially proven in India”. JSPL is installing a 1.8m t/y coal gas-based direct reduced iron plant from Kobe-owned Midrex instead, as SBB reported.
“Everybody is watching how the Minnesota plant is performing,” a Kobe spokesperson in Tokyo tells SBB in response to Som’s remarks. He adds that other factors such as costs would be addressed in the ongoing FS. However, Kobe also notes that the Minnesota works – inaugurated 12 January – is using a grade of iron ore that may not be available in India.
“Everybody is watching how the Minnesota plant is performing,” a Kobe spokesperson in Tokyo tells SBB in response to Som’s remarks. He adds that other factors such as costs would be addressed in the ongoing FS. However, Kobe also notes that the Minnesota works – inaugurated 12 January – is using a grade of iron ore that may not be available in India.
