Indian metallurgical company Tata Steel has tested samples of coking coal from Russia for steel production in a blast furnace.
“We imported coking coal from Russia. The eastern coast of Russia is a good source, "said the general director of the company T.V. Narendran.
He noted that the purchase of test batches of coking coal in Russia began after a request from the Indian Ministry of Steel.
“We support the government's initiative to view Russia as a source of coking coal. This is a good option for us, otherwise we are overly dependent on Australia, ”he said.
He added that Australia also has frequent cyclone and weather problems.
“For many reasons, it's good for us to have more than one option. We have studied and tested new material, ”TV said. Narendran.
Tata Steel produces steel using blast furnaces at its 11 Mtpa plant in Jamshedpur in Jharkhand and its 3 Mtpa plant in Kalinganagar in Odisha.
Earlier, the chairman of the state-owned Indian metallurgical company Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) A.K. Chaudhary also reported on similar initiatives to replace Australian raw materials.
According to Chaudhary, the company is looking for new directions and suppliers to obtain coking coal in the international market in order to avoid dependence on limited sources. Besides Australia, some of the coke supplies come from South Africa, Canada and the USA.
According to official figures, India imports about 56 million tons of coking coal annually.
