India needs balanced growth in EAF and Blast Furnace Routes: Tata Steel VP Rajiv Mangal

ICSQS 2026 concludes at SNTI with focus on sustainable steelmaking

Jamshedpur, April 24: The International Conference on Sustainable Quality Steelmaking (ICSQS 2026) concluded on April 24 at the SNTI in Jamshedpur, bringing together industry experts, researchers and professionals to discuss the future of sustainable steel production.

The two-day conference ended with a valedictory session addressed by Rajiv Mangal, Vice President – Safety, Health & Sustainability, Tata Steel. He highlighted the growing importance of safety and quality assurance, especially in steel produced through scrap-based routes such as Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) and Induction Furnace (IF).

“India is witnessing strong growth in steel demand alongside increasingly stringent environmental norms. This requires a balanced and parallel development of both EAF capacities and blast furnace routes,” Mangal said.

He also noted that while Tata Steel’s European operations are gradually shifting towards EAF-based steelmaking in a stable demand environment, India presents a different scenario with expanding demand and evolving sustainability challenges.

Emphasising collaboration, Mangal added, “The steel ecosystem must not see itself as competitors but as collaborators, working together to improve safety, quality, sustainability and efficiency.”

The valedictory session was also attended by Dr. T. Bhaskar, Dr. S. Sanyal and Dr. A. Ammasi, who shared their insights on advancing steelmaking technologies.

Day 1 of the conference featured keynote addresses, technical sessions and panel discussions focusing on scrap quality, steel cleanliness, energy efficiency and decarbonisation in EAF and IF steelmaking.

Day 2 saw in-depth discussions on furnace technology, raw material quality, metallurgical process control, digitalisation and innovation. Experts stressed the need for process optimisation and sustainable practices to meet future industry demands.

The conference concluded with a feedback session, marking the successful closure of ICSQS 2026.