ABB & SAIL Partner for Steelmaking Process Optimization

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) Electrification and automation major ABB India and state-run SAIL have joined hands to digitally optimize iron and steel-making processes at Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) in Odisha.

The collaboration comes amidst growing challenges within the steel industry, including the need to meet stricter environmental regulations, reduce operational costs, and maintain competitive advantages in a rapidly evolving market, ABB India said.

"ABB India and SAIL have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to digitally optimize iron-making and steel-making processes at the RSP in Odisha," the statement said.

As part of the MoU, the SAIL's RSP plant will exchange data with ABB India to prepare data-based models to create digital twins of blast furnaces and basic oxygen furnaces of steel melt shop areas.

Data-driven models will be used to assess opportunities for optimizing ironmaking and steelmaking in line with sustainability improvements.

Both companies will work to explore developments for Rourkela Steel Plant to improve productivity and efficiency of operations.

Rourkela Steel Plant produced 4.08 million tonnes of saleable steel products in FY25.

"This partnership with ABB India is a significant step towards modernizing our operations and achieving greater efficiency and sustainability," said Biswa Ranjan Palai, Executive Director (Works), SAIL.

Kapil Agarwal, Senior Vice President & Local Division Manager, Process Industries, ABB India said, “By integrating advanced data-driven models and leveraging digital twin technologies, we aim to revolutionize the steelmaking processes, ensuring higher efficiency and a reduced environmental impact.