Tata Steel has commissioned a Coke Oven Gas (COG) injection project at Blast Furnace 1 of its Meramandali steel plant in Odisha. The company describes it as the first project of its kind in the Indian steel industry. The project will use coke oven gas as a reductant in the blast furnace and as a partial replacement for conventional fossil fuels. Tata Steel said the move is aimed at reducing fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions while also improving operational efficiency.
Coke oven gas is a by-product generated during the production of coke from coal in coke ovens. It contains hydrogen and hydrocarbons and is already used in integrated steel plants for applications such as heating and power generation, while some quantities can also be flared. At Meramandali, Tata Steel is now using this gas directly in the blast furnace process, making better use of a gas that is already available within the steel plant.
The technology was developed by Paul Wurth, part of SMS group, and involves injecting the coke oven gas through the blast furnace tuyeres. The system includes gas compression, process equipment, electrical and automation systems, along with arrangements for controlling gas temperature and ensuring safe injection. When the project was ordered in 2024, SMS group said the technology could save around 0.65 kg of coke for every 1 kg of coke oven gas injected.
The project is also significant because blast furnace ironmaking normally depends heavily on coke and other fossil-fuel-based inputs. By using coke oven gas as a reductant, part of the coke requirement can be replaced while the chemical energy present in the gas is utilised within the ironmaking process. Tata Steel said the system gives the blast furnace greater fuel flexibility and is expected to help lower its environmental impact.
Tata Steel had selected SMS group for the project in June 2024, with Blast Furnace 1 at Meramandali identified for the installation. The original project schedule targeted commissioning in the first quarter of 2026, following an implementation period of about 25 months. The commissioning announced on September 10 marks the completion of that project at the Odisha plant.
The Meramandali project is part of Tata Steel's wider work on reducing emissions from conventional steelmaking. The company has been testing different technologies and alternative reductants across its operations, including biochar and other process-gas utilisation routes. Tata Steel has also been working with SMS group on the EASyMelt technology, which is planned for an industrial demonstration at its Jamshedpur works and is aimed at significantly reducing emissions from blast furnace operations.
For Tata Steel, the COG injection project is mainly about making better use of gases already generated inside the integrated steel plant while reducing dependence on additional fossil-fuel inputs. It also shows how existing blast furnace operations can be modified using alternative reductants rather than relying only on a complete shift to a new ironmaking route. The actual reduction in coke consumption and emissions will depend on operating conditions and the quantity of coke oven gas injected during regular operation.
Tata Steel has set a target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2045, and the Meramandali project adds another technology to its decarbonisation programme. For the Indian steel sector, the project is relevant because it focuses on reducing emissions from an operating blast furnace rather than replacing the entire production route. The use of process gases, alternative reductants and other efficiency measures is likely to remain an important part of the industry's efforts to lower emissions from conventional steelmaking.