Tata Steel has completed the phase two expansion of itsKalinganagar steel plant in Odisha, India, it said on May 22.

In a statement, the company said the plant’s capacity had increased from 3 million mt/year to 8 million mt/year, taking Tata Steel India’s overall capacity to 26.1 million mt.

The plant was inaugurated on May 22, with Tata saying the expanded facility was a “significant milestone” in its journey to “build a future-ready steel manufacturing ecosystem anchored in sustainability, technology, and inclusive growth.”

The expanded plant will supply advanced high-strength steels for the automotive, infrastructure, power, shipbuilding, and defense sectors.

Work to expand the production capacity of the Kalinganagar mill began in November 2018 and was scheduled to be completed in 48 months, or about November 2022, but was delayed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It again delayed the capacity expansion in May 2021, saying at the time it expected to complete it by the 2023-24 financial year.

Tata Steel India produced a record 21.68 million mt of steel in the financial year ended March 31, up 4.3% year over year, due to the smooth ramp-up of the new 5 million mt/year blast furnace at Kalinganagar and capacity utilization close to 100% at the remaining operations.