SAIL has formed a JV with Kobe Steel, Japan, for manufacturing iron nuggets at Durgapur plant in West Bengal.
A 50:50 JV company - SAIL-Kobe Iron India - has been incorporated in May 2012. The JV would use Iron Making Technology Mark-3 (ITmk3) for producing iron nuggets from iron ore fines and non-coking coal to use in steel-making electric arc furnaces (EAFS). The technology will be provided by Kobe Steel. The DPR is being jointly prepared by the two companies for setting up the 0.5 million tpa facility at SAIL's Alloy Steel Plant (ASP) in Durgapur. The DPR is expected to be ready by October 2012.