Is Visakhapatnam Steel Plant Regaining Profitability?
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Amaravati, Feb 4 (NationPress) The public sector entity Visakhapatnam Steel Plant is once again on the road to profitability with the backing of both the Central and Andhra Pradesh governments, officials briefed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday.
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate body overseeing the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, reported remarkable growth over the last eighteen months, achieving a profit of Rs 54 crore by January 2026.
The Chief Minister convened a review meeting on the plant's progress at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
Attendees included Union Steel Ministry Secretary Sandeep Poundrik, Vizag Steel Plant CMD Manish Raj Gupta, Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand, as well as other senior officials from the state government.
The CMD elaborated to the Chief Minister that thanks to the ongoing support from the Central and state governments, the plant has successfully turned around from its previous losses and is now producing 19,401 tonnes of hot metal daily.
In contrast, during the second quarter of 2024-25, production was only 9,215 tonnes each day.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that production levels have surged significantly, with all three blast furnaces fully operational, resulting in a record capacity utilization of 94%. Last year, production capacity was only utilized at 45%.
It was indicated that with the assistance provided by the state government in various sectors, including taxes, electricity dues, and water supply, the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has successfully transitioned from financial losses to profitability.
Moreover, with the Rs 11,440 crore support from the Central government, the steel plant has stabilized and is reaping positive outcomes. RINL's credit rating has also seen an improvement.
In response, the Chief Minister directed officials to implement new policies across all departments to further bolster the steel plant. He emphasized that this achievement was the result of collective efforts from workers, employees, officials, and both the Central and state governments.