Bhubaneswar, May 30, 2025: In a pioneering move for India’s ferrochrome industry, Tata Steel is all set to implement a Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) project at its Ferro Alloys Plant in Athagarh, located in Odisha’s Cuttack district. The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Comfit Enersav Private Limited, a leading provider of heat and energy recovery solutions, and Yantra Harvest, a prominent energy-saving solutions company, for implementation of the project, here on Friday.
Operating under Tata Steel’s Ferro Alloys and Minerals Division (FAMD), the Athagarh Plant is poised to benefit significantly from this strategic collaboration, which aims to enhance energy efficiency and promote sustainable industrial practices. According to the MoU, Comfit Enersav and Yantra Harvest will jointly design and implement the WHR system at the facility.
The MoU was signed by Pankaj Satija, Executive In-Charge, FAMD, Tata Steel, Ganesh Bhat, Technical Director, Comfit Enersav and Gaurang Bhatt, Technical Director, Yantra Harvest.
Speaking on the occasion, Pankaj Satija said, “We all are aware about interconnectedness of energy, climate change, water and biodiversity. With this process of heat integration, we are capturing the value which would be released to the atmosphere otherwise. This partnership marks a significant step forward in our journey towards sustainable operations with reduction in Co2, higher energy efficiency and lower energy cost. We are confident that this collaboration will set new benchmarks in industrial energy conservation.”
The innovative project focuses on capturing heat from the top waste gas generated during smelting operations within the furnace. The recovered heat will be used to dry chrome ore fines—replacing the current dependence on furnace oil. This transition is expected to result in annual cost savings of approximately ₹3 crore.
The project will be implemented under the Energy Savings Companies (ESCO) model, following a Build, Own, Operate (BOO) framework. Under this model, the project cost will be recovered through the value of captured and utilized heat energy, ensuring a performance-based payout mechanism.
This initiative reinforces Tata Steel’s leadership in responsible manufacturing and sets a new precedent for energy innovation in the Indian ferrochrome sector.
Among other senior officials of the company, BD Nanda, Chief (Operations – Ferro Alloys Plants), Natasha Jha, Head (Projects, Technology and Improvement), Sarbeswar Nayak, Head, Ferro Alloys Plant, Athagarh of FAMD, Tata Steel and Jitendra Jain, Managing Director, Comfit Enersav and Alok Jha, Regional Sales Manager, Yantra Harvest were present at the MoU signing ceremony.
