Time for India to transit from R&D stage to production of vanadium for usage in steel industry: NITI Aayog

#Vanadium #SteelIndustry #StrengtheningSteel

Source: FICCI

“By 2025, 85% of automobiles would have vanadium alloyed steel. The world needs more of steel and thus more of vanadium.” - Pankaj Satija, Co-Chair, FICCI Mining Committee and Managing Director, Tata Steel Mining Ltd

February 2022 : R Saravanabhavan, Deputy Advisor, NITI Aayog has highlighted the importance of vanadium for the steel industry while addressing the webinar ‘Vanadium Usage in Indian Steel Industry’, organized by FICCI, jointly with SRTMI. He said: “India is a significant consumer of vanadium but is not a primary producer of the strategic metal. It is recovered as a by-product from the slag. India consumes approximately 4-5% of the vanadium produced globally, with China accounting for 44-45% of the consumption. It’s time that India transit from the R&D stage to production of vanadium domestically, for supporting import substitution under the National Mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

Parmjeet Singh, Additional Industrial Advisor, Ministry of Steel, highlighted the value chain of vanadium usage in steel industry from availability and sourcing of vanadium, production of ferrovanadium (iron + vanadium) and alloying. “Construction sector is the biggest consumer of steel products, and vanadium plays an essential role in providing high strength & cost-effective solutions for steel applications in the construction industry. Vanadium is the most widely used alloying element for strengthening steels and enhancing the toughness of reinforcing bars employed in buildings, tunnels and bridges,” he added.

Mr Singh also remarked that vanadium micro-alloyed high strength rebar is a safe, reliable and cost-effective solution for concrete construction in earthquake prone regions, thus serving the society at large. “The Indian steel industry should look to produce all types of steel, which are high in strength and toughness, which in a way will drive production and consumption of alloying elements like vanadium,” he noted.

VR Sharma, Co-Chair, FICCI Steel Committee and Managing Director, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. while pointing out the importance and benefits of vanadium for the steel sector mentioned, “Vanadium finds increased usage in plate manufacturing & various forging applications and have an important role in steel alloying for high strength and toughness applications.” He also emphasized on the need for reducing cost and increasing value proposition for enhancing vanadium usage in the sector.

Pankaj Satija, Co-Chair, FICCI Mining Committee and Managing Director, Tata Steel Mining Ltd shared that by 2025, 85% of automobiles would have vanadium alloyed steel. Highlighting the inter-linkage of vanadium for high strength steels, he said, “The world needs more of steel and thus more of vanadium.”

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