Question

What are the three major problems faced by the Iron and steel industry?

Answer 1

1. High Cost and Limited Availability of Coking Coal: India has limited reserves of high-grade metallurgical coking coal required for smelting, forcing steel plants to rely heavily on expensive imports.
2. Obsolete Technology: Many of India’s older integrated and public sector steel plants use outdated machinery and manufacturing processes, leading to high energy consumption and lower overall productivity.
3. Irregular Power Supply and Infrastructure Bottlenecks: Steel production is highly energy-intensive, and frequent power cuts, combined with high freight and transport constraints, disrupt continuous plant operations.