Tata Steel is expanding the capacity of its Neelachal Ispat Nigam (NINL) facility in Kalinganagar, Odisha, by 5 MTPA, involving an investment of Rs. 400 bn. The project will focus on expanding long-products manufacturing at the plant.

Tata Steel chief executive officer and managing director TV Narendran announced the investment during the Indian Foundation for Quality Management Symposium 2026 in New Delhi. He said the expansion formed part of the company’s growth plans and would add 5 mn t per annum of capacity at NINL.

Tata Steel completed its acquisition of Odisha-based NINL on July 4, 2022, through its erstwhile subsidiary Tata Steel Long Products for Rs. 121 bn. NINL was the first state-owned steel company to be divested by the Narendra Modi-led government.

NINL’s existing 1 MTPA steel manufacturing unit at Kalinganagar, about 120 km from Bhubaneswar, had remained closed for more than three years because of several issues, including a shortage of funds. The facility is now part of Tata Steel’s wider production and expansion plans in Odisha.

Tata Steel completed the Phase 2 expansion of its Kalinganagar plant in May 2025, taking the company’s overall steel capacity in India to 26.1 mn t. The company has described Kalinganagar as one of the country’s most advanced steel facilities, with capabilities serving the automotive and oil and gas sectors.

The Kalinganagar operations are also providing Tata Steel with a better product mix and a lower cost structure, according to Narendran. The NINL expansion is expected to strengthen the company’s long-products portfolio while increasing the scale of its integrated steel operations in the state.