RSP stares at output loss as HSM goes out of production

ROURKELA:Output losses due to breakdowns at different key units continue to haunt the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) with the Hot Strip Mill (HSM) going out of production from Sunday night.Trade union sources said that motor of the coil turning device of Path-1 of the HSM got burnt due to which production was stopped from 11 pm on Sunday. Incidentally, the coil filter foundation of Path-2 of the HSM is also lying in damaged condition from Saturday.

General secretary of BMS-affiliated Rourkela Ispat Karkhana Karmachari Sangh, RSP’s recognised trade union, HS Bal said the plant management is hoping to restore normalcy by Tuesday night. Since the motor has been taken for repair, there is total production loss of HR Coils in the HSM. Breakdown at the HSM has been noticed after a long gap, he said.

Bal said frequent breakdowns at Blast Furnace-V (BF-V) and New Plate Mill (NPM) over the last six months have severely hit RSP’s prospects of reversing the loss-making trend. The daily production capacity of HSM is about 7,000 tonnes and assuming that there is a output loss of 10,000 tonnes of HR Coils over 48 hours, the financial implication would be of `35 crore, he said.

RSP authorities said that the problem in coil turning device of the HSM is being addressed on a war-footing. The HSM is expected to start functioning by Tuesday night. The plant management claimed that during this period, production has not been completely stopped. During the early days of the month, the HSM has consistently performed well and it is expected to meet the production target for October.

INTUC-affiliated Rourkela Shramik Sangh general secretary Prashant Behera said the BF-V had gone out of hot metal production for 15 days from the third week of May and subsequently, it reported output losses due to breakdown at least twice. Similarly, production had stopped at the NPM for nine days due to a breakdown during June-end and subsequently, it reported two minor breakdowns.

Behera said the recent development at the HSM is likely to mount woes for RSP. Unlike the past, essential maintenance works at all major production units are getting deferred by three to four months at a stretch, thereby leading to disasters, he added.