The KIOCL commissioned a 5 MW capacity solar power plant at Kathrikehal village, Chikkanayakanahalli in Tumakuru district recently. The power generated in the plant, set up at an estimated cost of ₹24.44 crores, is being consumed in the pellet plant of the company in Mangaluru.
The plant is expected to generate 10 million Kwh of power per annum. The estimated savings to the company from the plant is ₹ 6.2 crores per annum and the payback period is four years eight months. The estimated life cycle of the plant will be 25 years, a release from the company quoted its Chairman and Managing Director M. V. Subba Rao as saying.
The company has entered into an agreement with KPTCL, BESCOM and MESCOM for wheeling of the power generated at the solar power plant, it said.
Reclaimer installed
As part of modernization of 3.5 MTPA capacity pellet plant, the company has installed a barrel type blender reclaimer of 1,000 tons per hour capacity at a cost of ₹17.50 crores.
The reclaimer homogenously blends different types of iron ore fines received from various sources by its forward and backward movement, thereby helps in increasing the operational flexibility, the Chairman said.
With this, the pellet plant can use different types of iron ores, enhance productivity, flexibility in operations and achieving in manufacture of good quality pellets, he said.
Oxygen plant
The company has also set up a medical oxygen generator unit at Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Science, Nagamangala Taluk in Mandya District.
It has the capacity to generate 1,000 cu.m. of oxygen per day to supply 143 cylinders a day. The unit has been installed under the corporate social responsibility of the company at a cost of ₹90 lakhs. The plant was set up on the request by the Deputy Chief Minister C. N. Ashwath Narayana.
Beds donated
In addition, the company has donated 50 beds to the Government Hospital in Moodbidri, Dakshina Kannada at a cost of ₹18 lakhs to take care of COVID-19 patients. Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament Nalin Kumar Kateel had requested for the same.
The Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated all these facilities on the virtual mode in the presence of Union Minister of State for Steel Faggan Singh Kulaste on June 22, the release said.
