SAIL signs MOU with ABB
India -Left to Right -Kapil Agarwal (ABB) and Biswa Ranjan Palai (SAIL)
• ABB
India and Steel Authority of India Limited will explore developments for
Rourkela Steel Plant to improve productivity and efficiency of operations
• Digital
twins of the existing blast furnaces and steel melt shop are part of the
Memorandum of Understanding signed by the companies
• Data-driven
models will be used to assess opportunities for optimizing ironmaking and
steelmaking in line with sustainability improvements
ABB India and Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), a Maharatna central public sector company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to digitally optimize ironmaking and steelmaking processes at the Rourkela Steel Plant in Odisha state, India. SAIL’s 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.
The collaboration comes at
a time of 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. Rourkela Steel Plant
produced 4.08 million tons of saleable steel products in FY 2024-25 and SAIL
plans to grow output to about 9 million tons by 2030 to meet escalating market
demands. It has ambitions to attain the highest levels of operational
efficiency and sustainability using digital transformation.
The plant will harness
ABB’s expertise in automation and digitalization, including mathematical and
data-based models, to optimize processes in both ironmaking and steelmaking.
The goal is to deliver actionable insights and enable data-driven decisions to
support optimal operations, paving the way for a more sustainable and
cost-effective future in steel production.
“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. “The development of this digital twin technology will
transform our steel manufacturing processes by providing us real-time insights
into furnace operations, thereby enabling us to optimize our performance,
improve product quality, increase asset longevity and remain competitive in the
global market.”
“This collaboration
underscores our continued commitment to driving digital innovation and
supporting the steel industry in its quest for excellence,” said Kapil Agarwal,
Senior Vice President & Local Division Manager, Process Industries, ABB
India. “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.”
India’s steel industry is
witnessing significant growth, with domestic demand projected to rise by 9-10
percent in FY25 (ICRA)[1] and long-term annual growth expected between 5
percent to 7.3 percent (Deloitte)[2]. As the industry modernizes with
increasingly advanced steel mills and upgrades for higher energy efficiency,
technologies play a crucial role in driving sustainability and productivity.
This year marks ABB’s 75th
anniversary in India, a milestone that highlights delivering electrification,
automation, and digital solutions across key industries like steel, cement,
mining, and energy. As a trusted partner to the metals industry, ABB continues
to support India’s industrial transformation by optimizing production,
enhancing sustainability, and enabling the shift towards autonomous operations
and a circular economy.
