Whalesbook
Kya scene hai, India ka steel sector ab sirf quantity nahi, quality par bhi dhyan de raha hai. Saath hi green steel ko promote karna, imports ko kam karna aur exports badhana bhi goal hai. FY26 mein, crude steel ka production 10.7% badh kar 168.4 million tonnes (MT) par pahunch gaya. Yeh sab isliye hua kyunki infrastructure, construction aur manufacturing mein mast chal raha hai kaam, jisse finished steel ki demand 7-8% badh kar 164 MT ho gayi. Ab India duniya mein doosra sabse bada steel producer ban gaya hai, jiska global share 7.9% hai 2024 mein.
Government ki policies bhi yahan kaam kar rahi hain. Specialty steel ke liye jo Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme hai, usne ₹44,106 crore ke investment ka promise dilwaya hai. Ab tak ₹23,022 crore invest ho chuke hain, jisse 2.4 million jobs bane hain aur specialty steel capacity bhi badhi hai. Jo naya phase PLI 1.2 hai, usme aur ₹11,887 crore invest honge aur 8.29 MT ki naya capacity judegi. Saath hi, April 2025 se kuch flat steel products par jo 12% ka safeguard duty laga hai, usne local producers ko China jaise countries se aane wale imports se bachaya hai, jisse unki pricing bhi stable hui hai.
Ab India sustainable steel banane mein lead karne wala hai. 2024 mein sabse pehle 'Green Steel Taxonomy' laya gaya tha, jo batata hai ki 1 tonne finished steel mein 2.2 tonnes se kam carbon dioxide emission hona chahiye. Ab tak 89 steel units ne green steel certification le li hai, jo 12.34 MT production ko cover karta hai. Aur Budget FY27 mein carbon capture technologies ke liye ₹20,000 crore alag se rakhe gaye hain. AI (Artificial Intelligence) ka bhi use badh raha hai, jisse mining se lekar production tak sab improve ho raha hai. Tata Steel aur JSW Steel jaise bade players AI use kar rahe hain predictive maintenance aur process optimization ke liye.
Apne desh ke bade steel companies bhi kamaal kar rahe hain. JSW Steel ne FY26 mein apna sabse zyada 30.14 million tonnes crude steel produce kiya hai, revenue ₹1.68 lakh crore aur EBITDA ₹22,904 crore raha. Tata Steel India ne bhi 23.48 MT ka record production kiya, aur Jindal Steel & Power ne 9.25 MT. Analysts bhi positive hain, HSBC ne toh JSW Steel aur Jindal Stainless ko 'Buy' rating di hai. Global steel demand 2026 mein sirf 0.3% badhegi, par India ismein 7.4% growth ke saath sabse fast-growing market hoga.
Par bhaiyo, sab kuch itna smooth bhi nahi hai. Green steel banane ke liye $2-4 billion per million tonnes tak ka investment lag sakta hai, aur green hydrogen ka cost abhi bahut zyada hai. Indian steelmakers ka carbon emission global average se zyada hai. Coking coal prices badhne se bhi cost pressure hai. Aur European Union ka Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) toh aur bhi bada challenge hai, jisse 2050 tak $14.5 billion ka nuksan ho sakta hai. China se global oversupply aur geopolitical issues bhi export options ko limited kar rahe hain.
Aage kya? India mein infrastructure aur manufacturing mein government ki spending se demand FY2027 mein 9-10% tak badhne ka umeed hai. Goal hai 2030 tak 300 MT capacity tak pahunchna, aur PLI scheme se FY31 tak 8.7 MT specialty steel capacity judegi. Global pressures aur emission reduction ke costs ke bawajood, strong domestic demand, government support aur naye tech ka use sector ko stable rakhega.