The plant, located in West Bengal has also recorded the best-ever production in the first quarter. It has also made substantial improvements in the techno-economic parameters. This would, in turn, will help the plant to reduce the cost of production substantially.

DSP has been giving a major thrust on cost control this year with adequate emphasis on economising operations by preventing wastage and spillage, reducing the consumption of raw materials and augmenting revenue generation.

As a part of its cost control measures, DSP could improve refractory brick lining life of 1,509 heats which is the best-ever achieved by any steel plants in the country. With a very high cost for every refractory brick lining, the estimated annual savings accrued owing to enhanced lining life would be over Rs 10 crore, a senior DSP officialsaid.

DSP's saleable steel production during the first quarter of the current fiscal was 3,13,624 tonnes compared to 3,03,141 tonnes during the corresponding period last year. It achieved a growth rate of 6.4 per cent in saleable steel, 4.6 per cent in crude steel, 6.6 per cent in hot metal and 28.5 per cent in finished steel respectively over the corresponding period of previous fiscal.

Its blast furnace coke rate came down to 558 kg per tonne of hot metal in June, surpassing previous best of 561 kg achieved in March this year. Specific energy consumption came down from 8.21 giga calories per tonne of crude steel to 7.70 giga calories.

It could sell 12.3 per cent more saleable steel. In June itself, DSP could export 2,093 tonnes of rolled billets to Nepal and 1,230 tonnes of TMT bars to Mayanmar.