OREANDA-NEWS. June 14, 2012. Essar Steel India is committed to being a zero-waste company. In this endeavor it has commissioned a 19 MW Heat Recovery Power Plant at Hazira. The plant will use heat generated during the manufacturing process (Hot Briquetted Iron Waste Heat Recovery Boiler (HBI-WHR) and surplus steam from Blast Furnace Boilers) for electricity generation. The power generated by the plant will be used for internal consumption, thus making the Hazira Complex energy efficient and reducing the power cost for the company.

Mr. Dilip Oommen, MD and CEO, Essar Steel India, said, “We are a responsible steel producer, our focus is to have facilities which are both cost-efficient and environmentally friendly. It is a matter of pride for us that the entire process for this project from concept to commissioning, was carried out by Essar team.”

He further added that, the new plant is helping save the cost of generating 19 MW of power – enough power for almost 10,000 homes – which at today’s electricity prices provides extensive savings. This allows the company to help address the national power deficit by not drawing this power from the grid or using scarce natural resources.

The company would also benefit with the availability of carbon credits due to the reduction in emission of green house gases. Also, the company can utilize the power more effectively without any transmission losses or leakages of power due to the proximity of the plant in Hazira.

Essar Group has already created a similar facility at its Canadian operations at Essar Steel Algoma, where the company has a co-gen facility. With the skills learnt in Canada, Essar is replicating this success in India.

With our reduction of thermal emissions, generating power at a lower cost, better utilization of waste heat through production of electricity we are not only helping the environment but lowering our position on the cost curve. A true win-win situation.