Indian steelmaker Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has announced that it has launched construction of the company's ninth steel processing unit (SPU) at Kandrori in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
The upcoming Kangra SPU is to be set up at a cost of about Rupees 790 million (approx. $15.85 million), and is expected to have an annual capacity of 100,000 mt. Planned to be completed in 18 months, the unit will have a TMT bar mill with 60,000 mt annual capacity, for TMT bars of 8 to 12 mm diameter, and also 40,000 mt annual capacity for sizes 16 to 25 mm.
SAIL has decided to set up 11 steel processing units in seven states where it does not have any production facility, the foundation stones of which have been laid at Betiah, Mahnar and Gaya in Bihar; at Gwalior, Ujjain and Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, and at Pulwama in Jammu & Kashmir. These SPUs will help in downstream processing of SAIL products, adding value to the ever-widening product portfolio of the company and also will contribute to the development of the respective regions by catalyzing rural-based ancillary industries.