Under the guidance and direction of Union Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Public Sector Undertakings, under the Ministry of Steel, and other private companies in the steel sector, in this hour of need, are with the nation and continuing their best to supplement the efforts of the government in making available liquid medical oxygen (LMO).

Total daily medical oxygen production capacity of steel plants is 2834 MT. In the steel sector, there are 33 oxygen plants (both with CPSEs and in Pvt.) of which 29 are tapped regularly. As against 2834 MT of daily LMO production capacity in the steel sector, the production of LMO is 3474 MT as reported on April 21, 2021. This is higher than the LMO production capacity because most units have reduced the production of nitrogen and argon and only producing LMO. With all these efforts, 2894 tonne were dispatched to different states on April 24 by steel plants in public & private sector as against 1500/1700 Metric Tonne /Day a week earlier.

Steel plant requires gaseous oxygen, primarily for steel making and for oxygen enrichment in blast furnaces, apart from some general purposes like lancing and gas cutting. Hence captive oxygen plants in integrated steel plants are designed to produce primarily gaseous products of oxygen, nitrogen and argon and then routed through pressure reduction & management system (PRMS) to meet the process need at desired pressure. Such plants can produce 5-6 per cent maximum liquid oxygen (LOX) at the peak capacity, which is a highly pure product compared to the industrial oxygen. Plants can only optimize LOX production by sacrificing some gaseous oxygen and optimise process parameters.

In the meantime, all out efforts are being made to enhance the production of liquid oxygen and for dispensing the same for which all oxygen plants whether in private or public are working 24x7 and dispensing oxygen. Steel plants are also filling oxygen cylinders and supplying to the states/hospitals.

Steel plants in both public and private sector are striving hard to supply the liquid oxygen to different states. The average delivery of liquid medical oxygen by SAIL has been raised to more than 800 tonne per day. Around 1150 tonne of LMO was delivered on April 23, and the quantity delivered on April 24 was 960 tonne.  SAIL has been continuously enhancing LMO supply. Total liquid medical oxygen supplied from SAIL integrated steel plants at Bhilai, Bokaro, Rourkela, Durgapur and Burnpur from August, 2020 till yesterday has been 39,647  tonne.

As far as RINL is concerned, in the last FY 20-21, it had supplied 8842 ton of LMO. This FY, from April 13, more than 1300 ton of medical oxygen has been dispatched. There is an increase from 100 to 140 tonne in last three days. First oxygen express had chugged off  RINLVizag Steel Plant site on April 22, carrying 100 tonne of liquid medical oxygen to Maharashtra to meet medical exigencies of Covid patients.