OREANDA-NEWS. Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) achieved best-ever May performance in production of Saleable Steel in May’13 by registering a growth of 11% y-o-y. SAIL's production of Saleable Steel stood at 1.087 million tonnes (MT) during the month. SAIL’s production of crude steel at 1.152 MT was also the best ever as against the previous best of 1.135 MT.

SAIL’s continued thrust on improving key techno-economic parameters resulted in reduction of energy consumption at 6.57 giga calories per tonne of crude steel showing an improvement of 3% over the corresponding period last year (CPLY). Power generation and Blast furnace productivity also improved 8% and 5% respectively, over CPLY. Production through the energy-efficient continuous casting route crossed 0.8 MT, which is highest ever May performance.

Production of value added and special steel from Integrated Steel Plants of SAIL also went up by around 8% in May ’13 against corresponding period of last year.

SAIL Chairman, Sri C.S. Verma, observed that the mood in the company is upbeat with the expected addition of over 5 MT of hot metal capacity in the current financial year and, with this capacity of hot metal, production will go up to over 19 MT from the present level of 14 MT. He expressed confidence in higher growth of steel consumption in the country in the coming months on account of inherent strengths of Indian economy.

Commencement of production from various units under SAIL's modernisation & expansion programme has already started with facilities like New Sinter Plant and coke oven at RSP, Air Separation Unit of Oxygen Plant at BSP, Raw materials Handling Plant, Coke Oven, Sinter Plant and Wire Rod Mill & RHF at ISP.