January 24, 2012: Essar Steel India Ltd, which has recently set up two modules, each of 0.87 million tons per annum (mtpa), Corex technology steel units, sees its total requirement of Corex coal coming down significantly with the setting up of a coal fines briquetting plant in the next few years.

"We are in talks with a Korean company to set up a coal fines briquetting plant and it will happen soon. Once that happens, then all the fines that we are generating now will be briquetted and charged back in the Corex so the net requirement of Corex coal will almost come down to half," Essar Steel's chief (Hazira Complex) Rajiv Bhatnagar, told ISMW.

"Right now we are using around 6,000 tons per day or about 2 mtpa of Corex coal as we are operating at around 75% capacity utilisation. But once we start operating at full capacity, the total requirement of coal should ideally go up to a high of over 2.4 mtpa," Bhatnagar informed.
"However, with the setting up of the briquetting plant, our Corex coal consumption, instead of going up to 2.4 million tons (mt), will come down to around 1.4 mt," he added.

Essar's Corex modules started working from September 2011 and December 2011 respectively and are currently operating at around 50 hits per day, which will go up to 70 hits per day on attaining full capacity. Right now, the company is buying Corex coal directly from two Australian miners and one South African miner, Bhatnagar added.

Source: ISMW