Tata Steel Likely to Shut Down Battery No. 7 in Coke Plant

CEO TV Narendran Inspects Battery No. 7 Amid Shutdown Preparations

Key Points:

• Battery No. 7 in Tata Steel’s coke plant to cease operations on Jan 27.
• CEO TV Narendran inspected the facility under emergency protocols.
• Asia’s first stamp charge battery, operational since 36 years, to be retired.

JAMSHEDPUR – Tata Steel is all set to effect the closure of Battery No. 7 in its coke plant, with operations likely set to cease on January 27. The management has sounded the union and employees about this development.

The decision to close the 36-year-old Battery No. 7, which has been Asia’s first stamp charge battery with an annual capacity of 0.25 million tons, comes amid its outdated technology. Approximately 100 permanent workers and 150 contract workers are currently employed at the facility.

CEO’s Inspection Underlines Transition

Tata Steel’s CEO and Managing Director, TV Narendran, conducted an inspection of Battery No. 7 on Thursday morning. The visit, described as an emergency scenario, saw all employees vacated from the area during the inspection. Narendran arrived at the coke plant at 11:15 AM and concluded his visit by 11:45 AM. He was accompanied by key officials, including Vice President (Operations) Chaitanya Bhanu and Chief of Coke Plant AN Rai.

During the visit, the team reviewed the battery’s condition, which has been operational for decades, and deliberated on its transition.

Historical Context and Future Plans

The closure of Battery No. 7 follows the 2020 shutdown of Batteries 5 and 6, which were to be replaced with a state-of-the-art Battery 6 project. However, the project has seen no progress for over a year. This highlights Tata Steel’s ongoing challenge in upgrading its coke plant facilities.

The impending closure underscores the company’s commitment to modernizing its operations while phasing out outdated infrastructure.