It is a well-acknowledged fact that the Steel and Cement are the foundational materials for our human civilization. We are currently producing 2 billion tons of steel globally. We in India produced 124.7 million tons in 2022 and it is expected

that by 2030 we shall cross 300 million tons target – largely through increase in the primary production. The challenge facing the steel industry in India is the kind of technologies we should invest in today to meet our ambitious targets

both on the sustainability (which includes cost, supply chain vulnerabilities and environmental impact) front as well as on the production front.

The steel industry is at a crossroads globally and certainly in India, we are faced with multiple challenges. Primary, that is, ore-based steel production is energy intensive and currently available energy resources have a high CO2 footprint. However, India is unique in that all major technologies are already in play; and could therefore lower their footprint leveraging developments in clean energy (renewables-based electricity, green hydrogen, carbon capture)

• Blast Furnace – Basic Oxygen Furnace (BF-BOF)
• Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) -EAF which includes DRI rotary kilns based on
• coal, reduction shafts based on natural gas or syngas (coal gasification /steel plant gasses)
• Other smelting technologies - Corex – based on coal, for instance

In addition, the rapidly growing capacity could be built differently – centred around massive green electricity capacity

• DRI-MELTER/ Submerged Arc Furnace (SAF)-BOF
• Molten Salt Electrolysis (Boston Metals)

IIM Pune Chapter is organizing a one-day symposium with invited speakers who are experts in different domains to enlighten us on the pros and cons of various technological options and the immediate way forward for us in INDIA. The symposium will consist of technical presentations followed by discussions and it will end with a panel discussion on the Way Forward for Indian Steel Industry.

All are cordially invited.