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The Ministry of Steel is focusing on sustainability, innovation, and quality in 2024 through the ‘Green Steel Mission’ and the PLI scheme. India has adopted 151 standards under the Quality Control Order to ensure high-quality steel manufacturing, establishing it as a global leader in sustainable and high-quality production.
Green Steel Mission:
The Indian government is preparing a ‘Green Steel Mission’ to reduce carbon emissions and achieve the Net Zero Target. The mission includes a PLI scheme, renewable energy incentives, and mandates for government agencies to buy green steel. The National Green Hydrogen Mission integrates the steel sector into green hydrogen production. A report on decarbonization and a taxonomy of green steel have been released.
The Ministry released the Taxonomy for Green Steel on 12th December 2024, defining and categorizing low emission steel, facilitating the green transition, creating a market, and seeking financial support. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission, providing Rs. 455 crores for pilot projects in the iron and steel sector. The mission aims to produce direct reduced iron using 100% hydrogen in vertical shafts and reduce coal/coke consumption in existing blast furnaces.
Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) for Specialty Steel:
The Production-Linked Incentive Scheme aims to boost domestic ‘Specialty Steel’ manufacturing by attracting capital investments and reducing imports, with participating companies investing ₹27,106 crore and creating over 8,660 jobs as of October 2024.
Capacity Expansion:
The Indian government facilitates the development of the steel sector across all states, including Maharashtra, by creating a conducive policy environment, despite India being self-sufficient in most steel grades. The Indian government has implemented policies to promote ‘Make in India’ steel for government procurement. These include reducing the Basic Customs Duty on Ferro Nickel from 2.5 percent to zero, making it duty-free, and extending duty exemption on ferrous scrap until 31st March 2026. This will help the domestic stainless steel industry, which is forced to import ferro-nickel due to its non-availability. Additionally, the government has published 16 safety guidelines for the iron and steel sector, aiming to minimize accidents and improve productivity. The revamped Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) 2.0 will provide more detailed information on imported steel standards and grades, addressing domestic steel industry concerns.
Raw Material Security:
The domestic steel industry has sufficient iron ore and non-coking coal reserves, but coking coal is imported due to limited supply. Steel CPSEs procure coking coal from Australia, US, Russia, Indonesia, and Mozambique. High ash content in domestic coking coal makes it redundant for steel manufacturing, leading to imports of 51.20 MMT in 2020-21, 57.16 MMT in 2021-22, 56.05 MMT in 2022-23, 58.12 MMT in 2023-24, and 30.19 MMT in 2024-25.
A MoU was signed between India’s Ministry of Steel and Russia’s Ministry of Energy on cooperation in coking coal for steel making. SAIL imports approximately 545,000 MT from Russia, while NSL imports 78,520 MT. A delegation visited Mongolia from September-October 2024 to explore the import possibilities and viability of coking coal for the Indian steel sector.
International Strategy:
India is developing a global strategy for its steel sector to enhance competitiveness and sustainability in the international market. The strategy focuses on four strategic areas: raw materials, investments, technologies, and steel exports. A strategy paper will be formulated after consultations with stakeholders.
Using Quality Control Orders and Standardization to Guarantee Steel Quality
Standards for the nation’s steel consumption have been developed and incorporated into the quality control order (QCO). For the production of steel, standardization entails creating consistent specifications, testing procedures, and manufacturing techniques. This guarantees that steel from various suppliers will be of the same quality. Both local and international manufacturers must get a BIS license in order to manufacture such steel, which must comply with the standards established by BIS. The government ensures that only high-quality products are supplied by implementing QCO. The QCO has now adopted 151 of these BIS-developed steel standards, and the process is ongoing with the aim of creating standards for all steel used in the nation. To ensure that there are no subpar steel consignments available, the import of steel consignments is also closely examined. The SIMS 2.0 site, which will be integrated with Custom’s ICEGATE as part of the SWIFT 2.0 effort, has combined with the pertinent site (TCQCO), which is used to review applications for imported steel consignments. Furthermore, the system will clear each shipment against the NOC, and the new combined portal will only provide NOCs in advance for importers’ six-month requirements.
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Construction, Infrastructure and Mining
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