The Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), corporate entity of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), should foray into tapping solar energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuel, Union Minister of State for Energy and Coal (independent charge) Piyush Goyal has said. On his maiden visit to the steel plant, Mr. Goyal was received by its Chairman and Managing Director P. Madhusudan and employees.
Later, the Minister visited the model room, where he was apprised of the latest technologies in the plant. Mr. Goyal said the RINL, the biggest unit in Andhra Pradesh, had a very bright future and advised it to tap renewable energy sources to generate power. The Centre would provide support and incentives to industries that come forward to set up solar power plants, the Minister added. He also assured the RINL of full support in the allocation of coal blocks. He expressed happiness at the green cover in and around the plant.
Captive mines
Union leaders submitted representations to the Minister to allocate captive iron ore mines to RINL. They said that due to lack of captive iron ore mines the production cost was much higher than in other PSU steel plants or private ones. The problem should be addressed immediately, they pleaded.
