A consortium comprising Siemens AG and Siemens has secured an order from Rashtriya lspat Nigam (RINL), to modernise blast furnace No 2 at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in Andhra Pradesh.

The contract value for Siemens is Rs 271 crore. The process of modernisation will boost the furnace's inner volume from 3,200 cu mtr to 3,820 cu mtr and production will increase from 1.7 million tpa to 2.5 million tpa.

Visakhapatnam Steel Plant is an integrated steelworks with an annual capacity of around 6.3 million tonne of crude iron. Modernization of the blast furnaces is part of an expansion project which is intended to boost annual pig iron production to 7.3 million tonne.

Vizag Steel currently operates three blast furnaces: two with an interior volume of 3,200 cu mtr, and one with an interior volume of 3,800 cu mtr. Blast furnace No 2 has a nominal annual capacity of 1.7 million tonne of crude iron.