Your EAF pays ₹8.2/kWh.
Industry standard is ₹5.4. That's ₹7.26Cr/year.
Upload power bills, rejection logs, or scrap procurement data. Get EAF energy root cause, TMT quality failure analysis, and scrap purchasing gap intelligence in under 30 seconds.
₹7.26Cr/year
Power Cost Gap
EAF vs industry ₹5.4/kWh avg
₹5.59Cr/year
TMT Rejection Loss
4.1% → 1.4% after fix
₹26.24Cr/year
Scrap Saving
Consortium + grade blend
19 mo
Capacitor ROI
On ₹28L investment
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The Pain
We operate a 150-TPD Electric Arc Furnace in Chhattisgarh. Our power cost is ₹8.2/kWh vs the industry average of ₹5.4/kWh for EAF operations. Operations head says it's because we're on DISCOM tariff and can't get open access. Finance says we're losing ₹3.2Cr/year to this gap. CEO says it's a government problem.
Raw data signal
EAF capacity: 150 TPD | Power consumption: 480 kWh/tonne of liquid steel | Monthly units consumed: 21.6L kWh | Current tariff: ₹8.2/kWh (Industrial HT, DISCOM) | Industry avg EAF power cost: ₹5.4/kWh | Gap: ₹2.8/kWh | Monthly excess cost: ₹60.48L | Annual excess cost: ₹7.26Cr (not ₹3.2Cr as finance believes) | Power factor: 0.84 (target: ≥ 0.95) | Peak-hour consumption: 38% of total units consumed in 6-10 AM and 6-10 PM (tariff surcharge window) | Open access status: Applied 18 months ago, no response | Captive solar feasibility study: Not done
OpsOracle AI Output
Finance calculated ₹3.2Cr loss but the actual gap is ₹7.26Cr/year at current consumption. Two immediate levers before open access (which takes 18–24 months): (1) Power factor correction — 0.84 vs 0.95 target means ₹18L/year in DISCOM reactive energy surcharges that stop the moment you install capacitor banks. (2) Peak-hour shift — 38% consumption in peak tariff windows at +₹1.5/kWh surcharge means ₹58.3L/year premium for flexible loads. EAF refining cycles and charge preparation can be shifted to off-peak (11 PM–5 AM) without capital investment.
[THIS WEEK] Action
Week 1: Install automatic power factor correction capacitor banks (₹28L investment, DISCOM-approved) — eliminates ₹18L/year penalty immediately. Month 1: Reschedule all non-furnace loads (material handling, pumps, compressors, lighting) to off-peak shift. Target: reduce peak-hour consumption from 38% to 18% = ₹29L/year saving. Month 2: Commission a captive solar feasibility study for roof + land — 150 TPD EAF plants typically find 20–30% power from 5 MW ground-mounted solar economically viable at ₹2.8/kWh cost. File open access application again with a writ petition citing 18-month non-response.
Expected impact: Capacitor banks: ₹18L/year saving, 19-month payback on ₹28L investment. Peak load shift: ₹29L/year saving, zero capital. Captive solar (5 MW, ₹22Cr): ₹2.8/kWh cost vs ₹8.2/kWh grid = ₹5.4/kWh saving on 20% of consumption = ₹1.4Cr/year. Combined 3-year impact: ₹2.07Cr/year in achievable savings while open access is pursued. Total opportunity: ₹7.26Cr/year if full open access is secured.
The Pain
Our TMT bar rejection rate at final inspection is 4.1% — industry benchmark for mini steel plants is 1.2%. Every month we're scrapping or downgrading 61.5 tonnes of TMT bars. At ₹46,000/tonne selling price, that's ₹28.3L/month in revenue lost. QC says it's input scrap quality. Production says it's the rolling mill.
Raw data signal
Monthly production: 150 TPD × 25 days = 3,750 tonnes TMT | Rejection rate: 4.1% = 153.75 tonnes/month | Rejection categories: Surface cracks 39%, Dimension out-of-spec 33%, Rib pattern defect 21%, Hardness failure 7% | Scrap composition charged: 65% shredded scrap, 25% turnings, 10% pig iron | Phosphorus in final heat: avg 0.042% (BIS limit: 0.055%, but surface crack trigger: > 0.035%) | Rolling mill cooling water temperature: 38°C inlet (spec: ≤ 30°C) | Mill guide alignment: Last checked 8 months ago | Finishing stand roll gap: ± 0.6 mm variance (spec: ± 0.2 mm)
OpsOracle AI Output
This is not one cause — it's three concurrent metallurgical failures. Surface cracks (39% of rejects): phosphorus at 0.042% triggers hot shortness at rolling temperatures — ≥ 0.035% is the threshold above which surface cracking accelerates under rolling stress. The scrap mix (65% shredded + 25% turnings) is bringing high phosphorus that the EAF desulfurization slag isn't fully capturing. Dimension out-of-spec (33%): finishing stand roll gap at ±0.6mm variance is 3× the tolerance — this directly causes cross-section deviation that fails BIS 1786. Cooling water at 38°C (vs 30°C spec) means cooling is insufficient during the Thermex quenching stage — contributing to hardness failures and rib pattern issues.
[THIS WEEK] Action
Day 1: Reduce shredded scrap in the mix to 45%, increase pig iron to 25% — phosphorus content will drop to ≤ 0.030% within 3 heats. Day 2: Blast cooling tower and clean chiller filters — cooling water temp drops to ≤ 30°C within 48 hours (₹8K maintenance cost). Week 1: Realign finishing stand rolls to ±0.15mm tolerance — this is a 6-hour shutdown per pass. Week 2: Install online phosphorus analyser in tapping ladle (₹6.8L) to catch high-P heats before rolling. Monthly: check and adjust roll gap every 15 production days.
Expected impact: Rejection from 4.1% to 1.4% within 45 days (remaining 1.4% is within acceptable range for surface defect in high-P scrap days). Revenue recovered: 2.7% × 3,750 tonnes × ₹46,000 = ₹46.6L/month = ₹5.59Cr/year. Total capital: phosphorus analyser ₹6.8L + cooling maintenance ₹8K = ₹6.88L. ROI: < 18 days payback.
The Pain
We're buying shredded scrap at ₹41,200/MT from local aggregators. Our competitor mini mills in Raipur are buying at ₹36,800/MT — a gap of ₹4,400/MT. Operations says it's because they buy in larger lots. Our annual scrap consumption is 82,000 tonnes. This gap is ₹36.08Cr/year.
Raw data signal
Annual scrap consumption: 82,000 tonnes | Current avg procurement price: ₹41,200/MT | Competitor procurement price (industry intel): ₹36,800/MT | Price gap: ₹4,400/MT | Annual cost of gap: ₹36.08Cr | Procurement method: Spot purchase from 4 local aggregators | Largest single lot purchased: 800 MT | Competitor reported lot sizes: 4,000–8,000 MT | Scrap sources currently used: Local demolition, industrial turnings | Scrap grades being procured: A1 shredded (100%) | Forward contracts or price hedging: None | Shipping cost difference if procuring from Jamshedpur vs local: ₹380/MT additional
OpsOracle AI Output
Scrap price is volume-inverse — the discount curve in Indian scrap is steep: 800MT lot commands ₹41,200, 4,000MT lot commands ₹37,800, 8,000MT lot commands ₹35,500. Your competitors aren't buying better scrap — they're buying the same grade in 5–10× larger lots. The aggregator middle-layer is charging ₹3,000–4,500/MT markup on your lots because you have no direct mill/demolition/dealer relationships. A second lever: 100% A1 shredded is sub-optimal — blending A1 (60%), turnings (25%), and end-of-life vehicle scrap (15%) at ₹28,000/MT reduces blended cost to ₹37,600/MT without metallurgical sacrifice when managed correctly.
[THIS WEEK] Action
Month 1: Form a 3-mill purchasing consortium with 2 neighbouring mini mills to pool to 4,000–6,000 MT monthly lots — split equally. Approach directly: MSTC (Metal Scrap Trade Corporation) auctions, Tata Steel SIMS (their scrap recycling arm), and Gujarat state industrial demolition projects. Month 2: Pilot grade blending — run 5 heats with A1 60% + turnings 25% + ELV 15% blend, track phosphorus and rejection rate. If rejection rate holds ≤ 1.8%: switch. Month 3: Negotiate 3-month forward contract at ₹38,500/MT with a major aggregator (Adani Wilmar's scrap division or similar). They'll lock price for volume assurance.
Expected impact: Consortium bulk buying: ₹41,200 → ₹37,800/MT = ₹3,400/MT saving on 82,000 tonnes = ₹27.88Cr/year. Grade blending: blended cost ₹37,600 vs ₹41,200 = ₹3,600/MT saving on 82,000 MT = ₹29.52Cr/year (if implemented alongside consortium). Combined realistic target: ₹3,200/MT savings on full volume = ₹26.24Cr/year. This is a ₹26Cr improvement with zero capital expenditure.
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