Bhubaneswar, Nov 10 (PTI) A new facility at Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) to help meet the growing demand for special grade steel in defence sector was inaugurated on Saturday.

SAIL Chairman Anil Kumar Chaudhary inaugurated the Additional Heat Treatment Line (AHTL) of RSP's Special Plate Plant (SPP).

It has been catering to the needs of defence and research programmes and has supplied steel for India's indigenous defence projects like INS Vikrant and INS Kamorta.

Built at a cost of Rs 155 crore, the AHTL facility will augment the heat treatment capacity of SSP and help the plant meet the enhanced demand for defence grade special steel of various dimensions, he said.

Chaudhary also emphasised on early completion of the new 3.0 million tonnes per annum Hot Strip Mill (HSM).

He said it should be completed by the beginning of the next fiscal, and will ramp up the plant's hot rolled steel making capacity along with enabling RSP to produce advance grade HR coils.

Prioritising volume growth, he said the new facilities and mills can be utilised at their rated capacities "when we have the desired levels of steel making".

Chaudhary also stressed on the need to follow safety measures at all plants and on sustainable processes.

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