Orissa Sponge Iron & Steel Ltd - Stock Valuation and Financial Performance

Orissa Sponge Iron & Steel was conceived and established in the year 1979, promoted by TRFI. It was the first 100,000 TPA commercial scale coal based Sponge Iron Plant in India and one of the first few in the world. The plant went into commercial production in 1984 with process technology from Allis Chalmers Corporation of U.S.A. using 80% coal and 20% oil. With increasing crude oil price, use of diesel oil became uneconomical. Further the process demanded high grade of coal, stock of which is depleting worldwide and did not accept Indian coal with high ash content. The process technology was later modified and developed to use 100% coal and patented by OSIL and is now known as OSIL PROCESS. The strength of OSIL PROCESS is in its ability to use coal with high ash content and low fixed carbon without compromising on quality of product.

The company is engaged in manufacturing and marketing of iron and steel. The products include sponge iron and MS billets.

TRFI is the promoter of OSIL.It was started in 1967 basically to transfer Torsteel manufacture technology to India Entrepreneurs. OSIL was the result of the TOR group's commitment to promoting technological advancement in steel making.

OSIL has set up a modern township at Palaspanga with the finest municipal & civic amenity, schools, hospitals, sports, complex, parks & gardens etc.

OSIL PROCESS is now recognized as one of the leading coal based sponge iron technology in the World and has been adopted for use in projects funded by IDBI, World Bank (IFC) and the German Development Bank (DEG).

OSIL have since put up a 15 MVA power plant using energy from the Sponge Iron Plant waste gas and waste coal char & coal dust as well as a 1,00,000 TPY Induction Furnace based steel billet making plant using its sponge iron feed stock and self generated power for melting. The total integral steel plant is self sufficient in power generated from Sponge Iron Plant waste product.

Coal based DRI plant (Palaspaga, Keonjhar)- the coal based DRI Plant was set up and commissioned in 1983. a mixture of sized iron ore and sized coal along with flux (limestone/dolomite) is charged with proportion through material handling systems to a 4mtr.dia x 84 mtr. long ported rotary kiln. The kiln is equipped with air injection system to provide air for generation of necessary heat required for the process inside the kiln. Iron ore after due reduction inside the kiln is discharged to a rotary cooler of 3.5 mtr.dia.x 50 mtr. long for cooling the DRI from 10000C .

The DRI (metallic) and the nonmetallics like unused coal, coal ash, etc. discharged from the cooler and conveyed by conveyors to a product processing building where screens and magnetic separators are provided for separation of magnetic and non magnetic and screening of DRI for lumps & fines. Cooling of the DRI is carried out by indirect cooling method, i.e. spring of water on the outer surface of the cooler. For the main plant, the utilities like water system, compressed air system are provided. The offgas going out of the kiln is passed through a Dust Settling Chamber, After Burning Chamber Boiler, ESP & Stack.

Steel billet plant- The steel billet plant of capacity 60,000 TPA has been set up through induction furnace. Two electrical systems with 4 nos. of crucible of 8.5 T capacity each have been set up. The induction furnace uses about 75 to 80% of DRI. The induction furnace is basically melting units for which good quality metallic are used. The plant is equipped with 2 nos. Of 20/5T crane to facilitate charging through magnet and liquid steel handling It was envisaged that liquid steel from the induction furnace will be tapped at about 16000C and will be superheated in the induction furnace to about 16700C and after necessary homogenisation by ladle by using purging systems taken to the caster for casting. The caster is of 4 mtr. radius with 2-strands capable of casting 10 T metal in 25 minutes. The plant is also equipped with water treatment plant ,emergency water cooling system.

The power plant -- The captive power plant was planned to utilise the sensible heat contained in the kiln waste gas. It was estimated that from the quantity of energy available in the waste gas about 40 tons per hour of steam could be generated and accordingly taking a margin the Boiler was configured for 42 tons per hour capacity. The electrical demand from the DRI plant is more or less steady. However, the electrical demand of the mini steel plant is fluctuating and some times may go beyond its maximum demand of about 6300 KW. Looking into all these aspects and suppliers standard sizes, the Turbo-Generator selection was made to 12 MW. The plant comprises the following major units: -

1. Waste Heat recovery Boiler (WHRB) 2. Atmospheric fluidised bed combustion Boiler (AFBC)3. Turbo Generator Units

The plant is at present operating in idle mode & has been catering to the complete in-house energy requirements of the DRI and the steel billet Plant. OSIL has received the host country approval for 10MW Waste Heat Recovery based Captive Power Plant from National CDM Authority. The methodology submitted by OSIL has been adopted by UNFCC as combined methodology for all projects generating power from waste heat / gas on 10th July 2005.OSIL 's Waste Heat power plant project has been validated as a CDM project by TUV Rheinland.

OSIL has a Project and Engineering Division providing Engineering and Construction supervision for both inhouse as well as for clients on a contractual basis and for supplying Sponge Iron Process Technology and Sintering Technology in collaboration with NETC of China.

Other developments

Bamra Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. is being promoted by OSIL and its associates to set up integrated steel plant in the western & backward district of Orissa.

OSIL along with State Government and  Ing. A. Rossi, an Italian company has set up a state-of-the-art food processing unit BILATI in the tribal dominated area of Keonjhar (Orissa) to process for export in local horticultural products, namely, tomato, mango, guava, papaya, etc.

Recent developments

Orissa Sponge Iron and Steel the takeover target of 3 firms has written to the market regulator Sebi seeking extension of the deadline to convert warrants owned by Bhushan Group into equity shares by at least two months.