India`s Essar Steel is adding a fourth HBI module at its Hazira plant. The 1 million tpy module will feed Essar`s expanding steel plant when it attains a capacity of around 3.4 million tpy next year.

The module will start working in April and will take the EAF-based steelmaker`s DRI capacity to 3.5 million tpy. Essar`s three DRI modules have already been modified to increase production to 2.4 million tpy from 1.5 million tpy.

The Hazira steelmaking plant is currently producing around 200,000 tpm of crude steel. Production during 2003-04 fiscal year will be around 2.3 million tonnes. This will be increased to around 3.4 million tpy of crude steel during the next twelve months, on completion of an expansion programme.

Italy`s Danieli is carrying out the expansion of the three 150-tonne EAFs at Hazira. The HBI charge of Essar Steel`s electric arc furnaces will increase to 75 percent from 45 percent.