SAIL, ABB India Ink Digital Transformation MoU to Make Rourkela Steel Plant More Productive

Bengaluru, May 22, 2025: ABB India and Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) have signed an MoU to digitally optimise ironmaking and steelmaking processes at the Rourkela Steel Plant, Odisha. SAIL’s plant will exchange data with ABB India to prepare data-based models to create digital twins of blast furnaces and basic oxygen furnaces of steel melt shop areas.
 
The collaboration comes at a time of growing challenges within the steel industry, including the need to meet stricter environmental regulations, reduce operational costs and maintain competitive advantages in a rapidly evolving market.

Rourkela Steel Plant produced 4.08 million tonnes (MT) of saleable steel products in FY 2024-25, and SAIL plans to grow output to about 9 MT by 2030 to meet escalating market demands. It has ambitions to attain the highest level of operational efficiency and sustainability using digital transformation.
 
The plant will harness ABB’s expertise in automation and digitalisation, including mathematical and data-based models, to optimise processes in both ironmaking and steelmaking. The goal is to deliver actionable insights and enable data-driven decisions to support optimal operations, paving the way for a more sustainable and cost-effective future in steel production.
 
“This partnership with ABB India is a significant step towards modernising our operations and achieving greater efficiency and sustainability,” said Biswa Ranjan Palai, Executive Director (works), SAIL.

“The development of this digital twin technology will transform our steel manufacturing processes by providing us real-time insights into furnace operations, thereby enabling us to optimise our performance, improve product quality, increase asset longevity and remain competitive in the global market.”
 

Kapil Agarwal, Senior V-P and Local Division Manager, Process Industries, ABB India, said, “This collaboration underscores our continued commitment to driving digital innovation and supporting the steel industry in its quest for excellence.”

According to him, the integration of advanced data-driven models and leveraging digital twin technologies aims to “revolutionise the steelmaking processes, ensuring higher efficiency and a reduced environmental impact”. 

The steel industry is witnessing significant growth with domestic demand projected to rise by 9-10 per cent in FY25, according to ICRA. Long-term annual growth is expected between 5-7.3 per cent, per Deloitte.

As the industry modernises with increasingly advanced steel mills and upgrades for higher energy efficiency, technology play a crucial role in driving sustainability and productivity.

This year marks ABB’s 75th anniversary, a milestone that highlights delivering electrification, automation and digital solutions across key industries like steel, cement, mining, and energy. As a trusted partner to the metals industry, ABB continues to support India’s industrial transformation by optimising production, enhancing sustainability and enabling the shift towards autonomous operations and a circular economy.