Nearly three years after acquiring Neelachal Ispat Nigam. (NINL), Tata Steel has successfully transformed the public sector enterprise.

Acquired in 2022 as part of Tata Steel’s strategic push to expand its long products segment in India, the NINL unit was facing issues of inefficiencies and high costs, operating barely at capacity. Under Tata Steel’s management, NINL has undergone a dramatic revival. Its current production capacity stands at one million tonne per annum (MTPA), with proposals under consideration to ramp it up by 450 percent to 5.5 MTPA in Phase-I.

Phase-II of the expansion plans aims to increase the plant’s capacity to 9.5 MTPA. These proposals are expected to be taken up with the Tata Steel board later this year. 

Managing Director and CEO TV Narendran highlighted during an investor call that public hearings for the expansion have been completed and applications for environmental clearances have been submitted. He emphasised a new approach—securing regulatory approvals ahead of board sanction, to streamline execution timelines.