ENERGY CONSERVATION - A TOOL FOR COST REDUCTION OF STEEL PRODUCTION.

The paper highlights the energy conservation in an integrated steel works as a means to achieve cost reduction, taking Tata Steel's achievement on the energy front for the last one decade as reference. It also deals with the various technique and technologies of energy conservation and management applied at various stages of steel-making which led to substantial cost reduction. The general tendency to compare the energy-wise performance of Indian steel plants with that of the Japanese is not truly relevant due to raw material quality constraints and technological level. However, the achievement of the Indian reference plant could be taken as an indicator to the potential of energy and cost savings with due consideration of quality of raw material inputs and the level of technology in the Indian context.