On May 31, India-based steelmaker Jindal Steel and Power Limited's (JSPL) has announced that its subsidiary Jindal Shadeed Iron and Steel has inaugurated Oman's first integrated iron and steel plant in Sohar at around 75 percent capacity. The plant started hot briquetted iron (HBI) commercial production four months ahead of schedule in December 2010. Naveen Jindal, head of JSPL, stated that phase I of the plant is now complete and its capacity is up to 1.5 million metric tons of HBI. Jindal added that the capacity of the plant can be increased up to 1.8 million mt depending on the availability of raw material and natural gas.
On the other hand, according to local press, Jindal Shadeed Iron and Steel will invest around $400 million in Oman over the next two years, taking its total investment to over $1 billion. Mr. Jindal said that the Middle East needs to focus on production of steel. "The consumption of steel in the Middle East is expected to touch 20 million mt by 2015. However, the current production of steel in the Middle East is only 7 million mt," he added.
JSPL currently imports iron ore from countries like India, Brazil, Bahrain and South Africa and aims to supply semi-finished and finished steel products to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Jindal stated that the company would work on developing low grade iron ore deposits in Oman and explore opportunities in coal and iron ore mining as well. "Our target market, however, is Turkey," he added.
The company also plans to commission a steel melting shop by May 2013, with a capacity of 2 million mt.