ABB and SAIL partner to digitally optimize Rourkela Steel Plant, using digital twins and data models to boost efficiency, sustainability, and steelmaking performance

ABB and Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to digitally optimize ironmaking and steelmaking processes at the Rourkela Steel Plant in Odisha state, India. SAIL’s plant will exchange data with ABB India to prepare data-based models to create digital twins of blast furnaces and basic oxygen furnaces of steel melt shop areas.

The collaboration comes at a time of growing challenges within the steel industry, including the need to meet stricter environmental regulations, reduce operational costs, and maintain competitive advantages in a rapidly evolving market. Rourkela Steel Plant produced 4.08 million tons of saleable steel products in FY 2024-25 and SAIL has plans to grow output to about 9 million tons by 2030 to meet escalating market demands. It has ambitions to attain the highest levels of operational efficiency and sustainability using digital transformation.

The plant will harness ABB’s expertise in automation and digitalization, including mathematical and data-based models, to optimize processes in both ironmaking and steelmaking. The goal is to deliver actionable insights and enable data-driven decisions to support optimal operations, paving the way for a more sustainable and cost-effective future in steel production.

The MoU was sealed with a handshake between (from left) Kapil Agarwal of ABB and Biswa Ranjan Palai of SAIL.
The partnership will enable increased modernization of operations through digitalization. Image SAIL
Leadership teams met for a signing ceremony to mark the start of explorations between SAIL and ABB. “This partnership with ABB is a significant step towards modernizing our operations and achieving greater efficiency and sustainability,” said Biswa Ranjan Palai, Executive Director (Works), SAIL. “The development of this digital twin technology will transform our steel manufacturing processes by providing us real-time insights into furnace operations, thereby enabling us to optimize our performance, improve product quality, increase asset longevity and remain competitive in the global market.”

“This collaboration underscores our continued commitment to driving digital innovation and supporting the steel industry in its quest for excellence,” said Kapil Agarwal, Senior Vice President & Local Division Manager, Process Industries, ABB India. “By integrating advanced data-driven models and leveraging digital twin technologies, we aim to revolutionize the steelmaking processes, ensuring higher efficiency and a reduced environmental impact.”

India’s steel industry is witnessing significant growth, with domestic demand projected to rise by 9-10 percent in FY25 (ICRA)1 and long-term annual growth expected between 5 percent to 7.3 percent (Deloitte)2 As the industry modernizes with increasingly advanced steel mills and upgrades for higher energy efficiency, technologies play a crucial role in driving sustainability and productivity.

This year marks ABB’s 75th anniversary in India, a milestone that highlights delivering electrification, automation, and digital solutions across key industries like steel, cement, mining, and energy. As a trusted partner to the metals industry, ABB continues to support India’s industrial transformation by optimizing production, enhancing sustainability, and enabling the shift towards autonomous operations and a circular economy.

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