Indian steelmaker Essar Steel has announced the commissioning of an integrated pellet complex in Odisha comprising of an iron ore beneficiation facility at Dabuna, a 6 million mt per year pellet plant at Paradeep, and a 253 km-long slurry pipe line with a 12 million mt per year carrying capacity connecting the beneficiation facility and the pellet plant.
Essar stated that the beneficiation facility is designed to use low grade iron ore fines. With the commissioning of this integrated complex, Essar Steel has become the largest pellet producer in India, with an annual pellet production capacity of 14 million mt, including 8 million mt per year at the Vizag complex and 6 million mt per year at the Odisha complex.
A further 6 million mt per year capacity pellet plant at Paradeep is scheduled to be commissioned shortly including the corresponding upscaling of the beneficiation plant, taking the annual pellet production capacity of the Odisha complex to 12 million mt per year.