Bokaro: The Centre’s draft National Steel Policy Vision 2047 has set an ambitious target of taking India’s crude steel production capacity to 60.4 crore tonnes by 2047, a roadmap that could create fresh opportunities for expansion and technology upgrades at Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and its Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL). The draft estimates crude steel production at 53.1 crore tonnes and per capita finished steel consumption at 302 kg by 2047.
Production and Steel Consumption Set for Major Expansion
According to the draft released by the Ministry of Steel, India produced around 17 crore tonnes of crude steel in 2025-26. With infrastructure development, urbanization and industrial demand expected to rise, finished steel consumption is projected to reach 50.5 crore tonnes by 2047. The draft also proposes increasing steel exports to 4.5 crore tonnes. The targets, however, remain part of the proposed long term roadmap and their impact will depend on how the policy is implemented.
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Higher steel production will require a much larger supply of raw materials. The draft estimates that demand for iron ore could rise to 77.2 crore tonnes, while Coking Coal demand could reach 23.6 crore tonnes by 2047. It proposes strengthening domestic mining and raw material supply while reducing dependence on imported Coking Coal. The roadmap also proposes expanding iron ore slurry pipeline capacity from around 1.8 crore tonnes to more than 29.9 crore tonnes, which could reduce dependence on road and rail transport and bring down logistics costs.
BSL Expansion and Green Steel Could Gain Importance
For BSL, the proposed roadmap could support the case for brownfield expansion, modernization of coke oven facilities and improved raw material logistics. An investment of more than Rs. 15,000 crore has been indicated in connection with the plant’s expansion plans, although the current status and investment figure could not be independently confirmed from official sources. The Vision 2047 draft also focuses on lower carbon emissions, energy efficiency and digital technology. If the proposed targets are translated into concrete projects, BSL could see changes in production capacity, technology, raw material movement and the wider industrial ecosystem around Bokaro.
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