H.D. Kumaraswamy Inaugurates 84,000 m³ RCC Water Reservoir to Strengthen IISCO's Expansion and Water Security

📌 Summary:

• Union Steel & Heavy Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy inaugurated an 84,000 cubic-metre RCC water reservoir at IISCO Steel Plant (ISP), Burnpur, West Bengal — one of the oldest integrated steel plants under SAIL

• Reservoir meets water needs of Coke Oven Battery-10 and supports the future 4.08 MTPA expansion project; integrated system (booster pump house + process-water pump house) will create a closed-loop water circulation system to maximise conservation and efficiency

• Minister reviewed the COB-12 stamp-charge coke oven battery project — including Coke Dry Cooling/Quenching Plant (CDQ) and by-product plant with advanced environmental-protection systems for sustainable steel production

• Performance: ISP achieved 2.9 million tonnes of hot metal in FY 2025-26 — 108% of rated hot-metal and crude-steel capacity, 109% of saleable-steel capacity

• Minister stressed Centre-State coordination as key to unlocking West Bengal's industrial potential and linked capacity expansion to self-reliant India (Atmanirbhar Bharat) in steel

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (public-sector manufacturing, industrial infrastructure, resource-efficient/sustainable industry); example of water-security measures in heavy industry

📝 Prelims Facts:

• IISCO Steel Plant, Burnpur (West Bengal) is a unit of SAIL — a Maharatna PSU under the Ministry of Steel

• New RCC reservoir capacity: 84,000 m³; supports a 4.08 MTPA expansion

• ISP produced 2.9 MT hot metal in FY 2025-26

🔑 Key Term: Coke Dry Quenching (CDQ) — cooling incandescent coke with inert gas instead of water, recovering waste heat for power and cutting water use and emissions in steelmaking