Prices of HR coils also remained stable and comfortable and are expected to improve the net sales realisation and hence the bottomline of the steel plant located in Bihar during the current fiscal.

According to a Bokaro Steel release, the plant which has stabilised its modernised units and improved the quality of products, exported 43,167 tonnes of HR coils in July 2000 to Canada and the US in north America, and to Italy and Spain in Europe. It was a new monthly record. It has also exported a meagre 1,600 tonne of cold-rolled coils and sheets during the month.

Bokaro Steel has exported 25,918 tonnes of steel in April, 4,895 tonnes in May and 30,531 tonnes in June.

Export of HR coils by SAIL declined sharply to a meagre 26,400 tonnes in 1998-99 before taking an upturn to 2,52,924 tonnes in 1999-2000.

Bokaro Steel, which bounced back to profitability in 1999-2000 with Rs 120 crore net after incurring a loss in the previous fiscal because of modernisation of its hot strip mill and certain other facilities, is all set for much higher profits this fiscal. According to sources, the net profit may go up to Rs 500 crore this year.

The hot strip mill, the core of Bokaro Steel's saleable steel facilities, as well as supplementary facilities like pickling line-I and tandem mill-I were out of operation from July 25 to August 2 for capital repairs.

These units have come back into operation and are ready for full-scale operations for peak levels of demand in the concluding part of the fiscal.

"The repair was taken after two years of modernisation so that all equipment are set right once again to ensure quality production," a senior offical said.

In July, Bokaro Steel produced 91,995 tonnes of cold rolled saleable steel against 86,966 tonnes in July last year, 47,898 tonnes of HR plates, 14,084 tonnes of galvanised coils and 14,973 tonnes of GP/GC sheets.