Steel sector plays vital role in supplying medical oxygen to the country

26 Apr 2021 CW Team

Given the high demand for oxygen in the country, steel plants require gaseous oxygen, primarily for steel making and for oxygen enrichment in blast furnaces, apart from some general purposes like lancing and gas cutting. Hence captive oxygen plants in Integrated Steel Plants are designed to produce primarily gaseous products of oxygen, nitrogen and argon and then routed through Pressure Reduction and Management System (PRMS) to meet the process need at the desired pressure.

Such plants can produce 5-6% maximum liquid oxygen (LOX) at the peak capacity, which is a highly pure product compared to industrial oxygen. Plants can only optimise LOX production by sacrificing some gaseous Oxygen and optimise process parameters.

The Ministry of Steel told the media that plants in both the public and private sector are striving hard to supply liquid oxygen to different states. The average delivery of Liquid Medical Oxygen by SAIL has been raised to more than 800 tonnes per day. Around 1150T of LMO was delivered on 23 April, and the quantity delivered yesterday was 960 Tonne.

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL), in FY 20-21, had supplied 8,842 ton of LMO. This FY, from 13 April till today morning, more than 1,300 tonnes of medical oxygen has been dispatched. There has been an increase from 100 tonne to 140 tonne in the last three days. The first Oxygen Express had left the RINL Vizag steel plant site on 22 April, carrying 100 tonne of LMO to Maharashtra to meet medical emergencies of Covid patients.

The total daily Oxygen production capacity of steel plants is 2834 metric tonne (mt). In the steel sector, there are 33 oxygen plants (both with CPSEs and in Pvt), of which 29 are tapped regularly. As against 2,834 mt of daily LMO production capacity in the Steel Sector, the production of LMO is 3,474 mt, as reported on 24 April 2021.

This is higher than the LMO production capacity because most units have reduced nitrogen and argon production and only produce LMO. With all these efforts, 2894 tonnes were dispatched to different states on 24 April by steel plants in the public and private sector as against 1,500/1,700 tonne per day a week earlier.

Image Source

Also Read: Steel plants to divert oxygen for emergency medical use

Also Read: Tata Steel and JSPL facing logistics issue in supplying oxygen

Your next big infra connection is waiting at RAHSTA 2025 – Asia’s Biggest Roads & Highways Expo, Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. Don’t miss out!

In view of skyrocketing demand for oxygen in the country due to a record surge in Covid-19 cases, public sector steel companies under the Ministry of Steel and private steel companies have aligned themselves to supply oxygen for medical use. Given the high demand for oxygen in the country, steel plants require gaseous oxygen, primarily for steel making and for oxygen enrichment in blast furnaces, apart from some general purposes like lancing and gas cutting. Hence captive oxygen plants in Integrated Steel Plants are designed to produce primarily gaseous products of oxygen, nitrogen and argon and then routed through Pressure Reduction and Management System (PRMS) to meet the process need at the desired pressure. Such plants can produce 5-6% maximum liquid oxygen (LOX) at the peak capacity, which is a highly pure product compared to industrial oxygen. Plants can only optimise LOX production by sacrificing some gaseous Oxygen and optimise process parameters. The Ministry of Steel told the media that plants in both the public and private sector are striving hard to supply liquid oxygen to different states. The average delivery of Liquid Medical Oxygen by SAIL has been raised to more than 800 tonnes per day. Around 1150T of LMO was delivered on 23 April, and the quantity delivered yesterday was 960 Tonne. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL), in FY 20-21, had supplied 8,842 ton of LMO. This FY, from 13 April till today morning, more than 1,300 tonnes of medical oxygen has been dispatched. There has been an increase from 100 tonne to 140 tonne in the last three days. The first Oxygen Express had left the RINL Vizag steel plant site on 22 April, carrying 100 tonne of LMO to Maharashtra to meet medical emergencies of Covid patients. The total daily Oxygen production capacity of steel plants is 2834 metric tonne (mt). In the steel sector, there are 33 oxygen plants (both with CPSEs and in Pvt), of which 29 are tapped regularly. As against 2,834 mt of daily LMO production capacity in the Steel Sector, the production of LMO is 3,474 mt, as reported on 24 April 2021. This is higher than the LMO production capacity because most units have reduced nitrogen and argon production and only produce LMO. With all these efforts, 2894 tonnes were dispatched to different states on 24 April by steel plants in the public and private sector as against 1,500/1,700 tonne per day a week earlier. Image SourceAlso Read: Steel plants to divert oxygen for emergency medical use Also Read: Tata Steel and JSPL facing logistics issue in supplying oxygen

Real Estate

04 Sep 2025

Mumbai Records 11,230 Property Deals in August 2025

Mumbai’s property market remained resilient in August 2025, with 11,230 property registrations recorded under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) jurisdiction, according to data released by Knight Frank India. While this marks a 3 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline compared to 11,631 registrations in August 2024, activity stayed robust despite the marginal dip.On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, registrations fell 11 per cent from 12,579 deals in July 2025, indicating seasonal moderation. However, the city’s stamp duty collections still reached Rs 10 billion, reflecting a 6 per cent..

Infrastructure Transport

04 Sep 2025

68 Jammu-Katra Trains Cancelled Amid Rain Damage

Jammu and Katra railway services remain severely affected as Northern Railway announced the cancellation of 68 trains—both incoming and outgoing—until 30 September, due to extensive track damage caused by heavy rains and flash floods. Meanwhile, 24 trains are scheduled to resume operations gradually.The Jammu railway division has experienced a complete halt in services for the past eight days, following track misalignment and breaches at several points along the Pathankot–Jammu section. Torrential rainfall since 26 August led to widespread flooding and damage, stranding hundreds of passe..

Infrastructure Transport

04 Sep 2025

Bangalore Metro MD Reviews Reach 6 and Phase 2A Progress

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director, Dr J Ravishankar, IAS, conducted inspections of key metro corridors on 29 and 30 August, reviewing the progress of Reach 6 (Pink Line) and Phase 2A (Blue Line).On 30 August, the inspection covered Reach 6, a 21.39-km corridor stretching from Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara, with 18 stations. This stretch is part of Phase 2 of the Bangalore Metro project. Dr Ravishankar assessed the status of civil works, finishing, track laying, and system integration between Kalena Agrahara and MG Road.Earlier, on 29 August, the MD inspected Phas..