OREANDA-NEWS. September 14, 2015. Tata Steel's Greenfield project at Kalinganagar in the state of Odisha achieved a major milestone on 4th Sep'15 with start of coke production from its Coke Ovens. The heating of Coke Ovens was started on May 19, 2015.

Speaking about the initiative Mr Rajiv Kumar, Vice President, (Operation), KPO, Tata Steel said 'It's a momentous occasion for Tata Steel as we strive ahead on the journey to commission the Kalinganagar Project. The production of coke from the coke oven plant is among the major achievements from Kalinganagar Project, Odisha and we are extremely happy to reach the milestone. We are confident of meeting our deadlines for the commissioning of the first phase of 3 MnTPA and rolling out of crude and saleable steel from the plant.

Coking coal when heated in Coke Ovens in absence of oxygen, releases the volatile components and gets converted to coke which is then used in blast furnace along with iron ore for producing Hot Metal. This Hot Metal is further processed during steel-making.

Kalinganagar Project is the largest single location Greenfield steel project in India having a rated capacity of 3 MTPA in first phase. Various units of plant will start commercial production sequentially. In the first phase, the steel plant will have two Coke Oven battery, each comprising 88 ovens and having a gross coke production capacity of 1.5 MTPA. With this event, Coke Oven gas also will be available, which will be used as fuel for other production units.

About Tata Steel

Established in 1907 as Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of nearly 30 million tonnes per annum (MnTPA). It is now the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US\\$ 22.32 billion in FY 15, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group's vision is to be the world's steel industry benchmark in "Value Creation" and "Corporate Citizenship" through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management. In 2012, Tata Steel became the first integrated steel company in the world, outside Japan, to win the Deming Grand Prize 2012 instituted by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers.