F. No. J-11011/567/2009-IA-II (I)

             Government of India

Ministry of Environment and Forests

(I.A. Division)

Paryavaran Bhawan

CGO Complex, Lodhi Road

New Delhi ? 110 003

E-mail: plahujarai@yahoo.com

           Tele/fax: 011 ? 2436 3973

                                                             Dated:  6th May, 2011      

To,

M/s SBQ Steels Limited

K.P. Puram, Chennai - 600 028

Tamil Nadu

 

Fax: 044- 42100 177

E-mail: ritesh@rkkrgroup.com / pelcpl@gmail.com

 

Sub:    Expansion of Integrated Steel Plant by installing Sponge Iron Plant (2x100 TPD) along with Captive Power Plant from (30 MW to 90 MW) at Villages Ankulapaturu & Udathavaripalem, Mandal Chillakur, District SPSR Nellore in Andhra Pradesh by M/s SBQ Steels Limited - regarding Environmental Clearance

Sir,      

This has reference to your letter no. nil dated 10.01.2011 and subsequent communications dated 22.02.2011 and 3.03.2011 along with copies of EIA/EMP and public hearing reports seeking environmental clearance under the provisions of EIA Notification, 2006.

2.         The Ministry of Environment and Forests has examined your application.  It is noted that M/s SBQ steels Limited is an existing plant, which is operating Sponge Iron Plant of 60, 000 TPA & Power generation of 30 MW and now the company has proposed for expansion of existing plant at Villages Ankulapaturu & Udathavaripalem, Mandal Chillakur, District SPSR Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. No National Park / Wild life sanctuary / Bio-sphere reserve etc. is located within 10 km radius of the project site. River Upputeru flows at a distance of 3.0 Kms from the plant. UV palem PF, Momidi RF, Vallipedu RF are situated within 10 Kms from the plant. Land requirement for the project is 377 acres which is in the possession of the company. Green belt will be developed in an area of 126 acres. No forest land and R&R is involved. Total cost of the project is Rs. 201.43 Crores and Rs. 12.00 Crores & Rs. 1.20 crores/annum are earmarked towards capital cost and recurring cost for environmental pollution control measures.

 

3.         The following are the production capacities of existing & expansion units:

 

 S. No

Unit

Production Capacity

Existing

Expansion

After expansion

1.

Coke oven plant

(Non-recovery)

2,00,000 TPA

---

2,00,00 TPA

2.

DRI Kiln

60,000 TPA

60,000 TPA

1,20,000 TPA

3.

Cement plant

2,90,000 TPA

---

4.

Captive Power Plant

30 MW

60 MW

(4MW WHRB based)

56 MW AFBC based)

90 MW

5.

Sinter Plant

5,00,000 TPA

---

5,00,000 TPA

6.

Blast Furnace

5,00,000 TPA

---

5,00,000 TPA

7.

Energy Optimization Furnace

5,90,000 TPA

---

5,90,000 TPA

8.

Ladle Refining Furnace

5,75,000 TPA

---

5,75,000 TPA

9.

Vacuum degassing unit

2,50,000 TPA

---

2,50,000 TPA

10.

Continuous casting machine

2 Twin Strand Bloom -3,25,000 TPA

Billet casting lines ? 2,25,000 TPA

---

2 Twin Strand Bloom -3,25,000 TPA

Billet casting lines ? 2,25,000 TPA

11.

Rolling mill

2x 2,50,000 TPA

---

2x 2,50,000 TPA

12.

Oxygen plant

200 TPD

---

200 TPD

  

4.         Iron ore (320 TPD), coal (260 TPD for DRI plant and 1503 TPD from Singareni Collieries or 1160 TPD Imported coal for the AFBC boiler), dolomite (10 TPD) for sponge iron plant will be used as raw materials. Waste heat recovery boiler (WHRB) and AFBC boiler will be installed. MoU for supply of imported coal from Bhatia International Ltd. and MoU for utilization of granulated BF slag by Ultra Tech Cement Ltd. have been submitted. LOI for utilization of fly ash by Ultra Tech Cement Limited and Penna cement Industries Ltd. has been furnished. Railway siding has been proposed up to the plant site to transport the raw material.

 

5.         The exhaust waste flue gases from the sponge iron kilns will pass through waste heat recovery boilers (WHRB). 4 MW of power will be generated through waste heat recovery. Two AFBC boiler will also be provided to generate steam by using char (solid waste from Sponge iron manufacturing) and coal as fuel. 56 MW power will be generated through AFBC Boiler. The steam generated from WHRB & AFBC Boilers will pass through steam turbine and will be coupled to generator to generate 60MW electricity. This power generated will be utilized for captive requirements of the Steel plant and remaining will be exported to the grid.

           

6.         Electrostatic precipitators (ESP) will be installed to the Sponge Iron Plant & FBC boiler to control particulate emissions within 50 mg/Nm3. Dust generated from the raw material unloading areas will be controlled by provision of dust extraction system.  Bag filters will be provided to material handling areas, coal handling areas, crusher, stock house, cooler discharge area, screening area etc.

 

7.         The water requirement after the proposed expansion will be 11,155 KLD. This includes make-up water for cooling, make-up water for boiler, DM Plant regeneration and for domestic water. The water requirement will be met from Yeruru Tank. Closed circuit cooling system will be adopted in sponge iron plant. It is proposed to installed air cooled condensers to reduce the water requirement. The effluent from power plant will be treated in ETP and after conforming to the prescribed standards will be used for dust suppression, ash conditioning and green belt development. Service water will be passed through oil separator to remove oil content in the effluent.  Domestic effluent will be treated in septic tank followed by soak pit.  No effluent will be discharged outside the plant premises and Zero discharge will be adopted. Rain water harvesting structure will be constructed.

            

8.         Char will be used in AFBC boiler as fuel.  Dust from air pollution control devices (APCD) will be given to cement plants / fly ash product manufacturers / brick manufacturers. Fly ash from FBC will partly be used in brick manufacturing unit and cement plant units. Accretion slag will be used for low lying areas. Wet scraper sludge will be used in road construction or given to brick manufacturers. Waste oil and used batteries will be sold to authorized recyclers/re-processors. 

 

 

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9.         The Steel Plants are listed at S.No. 3(a) as Primary Metallurgical Industries under category ?A? of the Schedule of EIA Notification, 2006 and appraised by Expert Appraisal Committee (Industry) in the Ministry.

 

10.       The proposal was considered by the Expert Appraisal Committee-1 (Industry) in its 19th meeting held during 22nd - 23rd February, 2011. The Committee sought additional information for reconsideration of project. On receipt of additional information, the committee reconsidered the project in its 20th meeting held during 12th March, 2011. The Committee recommended the proposal for environmental clearance subject to stipulation of specific conditions along with other environmental conditions. Public hearing for the project was held on 7.12.2010.

 

11.       Based on the information submitted by you, presentation made by you and consultant, M/s Pioneer Enviro Laboratories & Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, the Ministry of Environment and Forests hereby accords environmental clearance to the above project under the provisions of EIA Notification dated 14th September 2006 subject to strict compliance of the following Specific and General conditions:

A.           SPECIFIC CONDITIONS :

 

i.      Efforts shall be made to reduce RSPM levels in the ambient air and a time bound action plan shall be submitted. On-line ambient air quality monitoring and continuous stack monitoring facilities for all the stacks shall be provided and sufficient air pollution control devices viz. Electrostatic precipitator (ESP), gas cleaning plant, venturi scrubber, bag filters etc. shall be provided to keep the emission levels below 50 mg/Nm3 by installing energy efficient technology.  

 

ii.      As proposed, Electrostatic precipitator (ESP) shall be provided to WHRB, AFBC and DRI plants to control particulate emissions within 50 mg/Nm3. Low NOX burners shall be provided to control NOX emissions. 

 

iii.      The National Ambient Air Quality Standards issued by the Ministry vide G.S.R. No. 826(E) dated 16th November, 2009 shall be followed.

 

iv.      Gaseous emission levels including secondary fugitive emissions from all the sources shall be controlled within the latest permissible limits issued by the Ministry and regularly monitored. Guidelines/Code of Practice issued by the CPCB shall be followed. New standards for the sponge iron plant issued by the Ministry vide G.S.R. 414(E) dated 30th May, 2008 should be followed.

 

v.        In-plant control measures like bag filters, de-dusting and dust suppression system shall be provided to control fugitive emissions from all the vulnerable sources.  Dust extraction and suppression system shall be provided at all the transfer points, coal handling plant and coke sorting plant of coke oven plant.  Bag filters shall be provided to hoods and dust collectors to coal and coke handling to control dust emissions. Water sprinkling system shall be provided to control secondary fugitive dust emissions generated during screening, loading, unloading, handling and storage of raw materials etc.

 

vi.      Hot gases from DRI kiln shall be passed through Dust Settling Chamber (DSC) to remove coarse solids and After Burning Chamber (ABC) to burn CO completely and used in waste heat recovery boiler (WHRB).  The gas then shall be cleaned in ESP before leaving out into the atmosphere through ID fan and stack.

 

 

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vii.      Total water requirement shall not exceed 11,155 KLD. Efforts shall further be made to use maximum water from the rain water harvesting sources.  Use of air cooled condensers shall be explored and closed circuit cooling system shall be provided to reduce water consumption and water requirement shall be modified accordingly. All the effluent should be treated and used for ash handling, dust suppression and green belt development.  No effluent shall be discharged and ?zero? discharge shall be adopted. Sanitary sewage should be treated in septic tank followed by soak pit.

 

viii.        Efforts shall be made to make use of rain water harvested. If needed, capacity of the reservoir should be enhanced to meet the maximum water requirement. Only balance water requirement shall be met from other sources.

 

ix.       Regular monitoring of influent and effluent surface, sub-surface and ground water (including chromite) shall be ensured and treated wastewater shall meet the norms prescribed by the State Pollution Control Board or described under the Environment (Protection) Act whichever are more stringent. Leachate study for the effluent generated and analysis shall also be regularly carried out and report submitted to the Ministry?s Regional Office at Bangalore, SPCB and CPCB.

 

x.        The water consumption shall not exceed as per the standard prescribed for the steel plants.

 

xi.        All the coal fines, char from DRI plant shall be utilized in AFBC boiler of power plant and no char shall be used for briquette making or disposed off anywhere else. AFBC boiler shall be installed simultaneously along with the DRI plant to ensure full utilization of char from the beginning.   Scrap shall be used in steel melting shop (SMS) and SMS slag and kiln accretions shall be properly utilized. All the other solid waste including broken refractory mass shall be properly disposed off in environment-friendly manner.

 

xii.        Vehicular pollution due to transportation of raw material and finished products shall be controlled.  Proper arrangements shall also be made to control dust emissions during loading and unloading of the raw material and finished product. Efforts shall be made to reduce impact of the transport of the raw materials and end products on the surrounding environment including agricultural land. All the raw materials including fly ash should be transported in the closed containers only and shall not be overloaded. Vehicular emissions should be regularly monitored.   

 

xiii.        All internal roads shall be black topped. The roads shall be regularly cleaned with mechanical sweepers. A 3-tier avenue plantation using native species shall be developed along the roads. Facilities for parking of trucks carrying raw coal from the linked coalmines shall be created within the Unit.

 

xiv.        All the bag filter dust, raw mill dust, coal dust, clinker dust and cement dust from pollution control devices should be recycled and reused in the process and used for cement manufacturing. Spent oil and batteries shall be sold to authorized recyclers / reprocessors only.

 

xv.        Efforts shall be made to use low-grade lime, more fly ash and solid waste in the cement manufacturing.

 

xvi.        Proper handling, storage, utilization and disposal of all the solid waste shall be ensured and regular report regarding toxic metal content in the waste material and its composition, end use of solid/hazardous waste should be submitted to the Ministry?s Regional Office at Bangalore, SPCB and CPCB. 

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xvii.        A time bound action plan shall be submitted to reduce solid waste, its proper utilization and disposal.

 

xviii.        Risk and Disaster Management Plan along with the mitigation measures shall be prepared and a copy submitted to the Ministry?s Regional Office at Bangalore, SPCB and CPCB within 3 months of issue of environment clearance letter.

 

xix.        As proposed, green belt shall be developed in 33 % of plant area as per the CPCB guidelines in consultation with the DFO.

 

xx.        All the recommendations made in the Charter on Corporate Responsibility for Environment Protection (CREP) for the Steel Plants and Cement Plants should be implemented.

 

xxi.        All the commitments made to the public during the Public Hearing / Public Consultation meeting held on 7th December, 2010 should be satisfactorily implemented and a separate budget for implementing the same should be allocated and information submitted to the Ministry?s Regional Office at Bangalore.

 

xxii.        At least 5 % of the total cost of the project should be earmarked towards the enterprise social commitment based on Public Hearing & social responsibility and item-wise details along with time bound action plan should be prepared and submitted to the Ministry?s Regional Office at Bangalore. Implementation of such program should be ensured accordingly in a time bound manner.

 

xxiii.        The company shall provide housing for construction labour within the site with all necessary infrastructure and facilities such as fuel for cooking, mobile toilets, mobile STP, safe drinking water, medical health care, crèche etc. The housing may be in the form of temporary structures to be removed after the completion of the project.

 

B.        GENERAL CONDITIONS: 

 

i.              The project authorities shall strictly adhere to the stipulations made by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) and State Govt.

 

ii.              At no time, the emissions shall exceed the prescribed limits. In the event of failure of any pollution control system adopted by the unit, the unit shall be immediately put out of operation and shall not be restarted until the desired efficiency has been achieved.

 

iii.            No further expansion or modifications in the plant shall be carried out without prior approval of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. In case of deviations or alterations in the project proposal from those submitted to this Ministry for clearance, a fresh reference shall be made to the Ministry to assess the adequacy of conditions imposed and to add additional environmental protection measures required, if any.

 

iv.           The gaseous emissions from various process units shall conform to the load/mass based standards notified by this Ministry on 19th May, 1993 and standards prescribed from time to time. The State Board may specify more stringent standards for the relevant parameters keeping in view the nature of the industry and its size and location.   

 

v.            The project authorities shall strictly comply with the rules and regulations under Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989 as amended

 

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in October, 1994 and January, 2000. Authorization from the APPCB shall be obtained for collection, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes.

 

vi.           The project authorities must strictly comply with the rules and regulations with regard to handling and disposal of hazardous wastes in accordance with the Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008.  Authorization from the A. P. Pollution Control Board must be obtained for collection / treatment / storage / disposal of hazardous wastes.

 

vii.          The overall noise levels in and around the plant area shall be kept well within the standards 85 dB(A) by providing noise control measures including acoustic hoods, silencers, enclosures etc. on all sources of noise generation. The ambient noise levels shall conform to the standards prescribed under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 Rules, 1989 viz. 75 dB(A)(day time) and 70 dB(A) (night time).

 

viii.         The company shall develop rain water harvesting structures to harvest the rain water for utilization in the lean season besides recharging the ground water table.

 

ix.           Occupational Health Surveillance of the workers shall be done on a regular basis and records maintained as per the Factories Act.

 

x.            The project proponent shall also comply with all the environmental protection measures and safeguards recommended in the EIA/EMP report.

 

xi.           A separate Environmental Management Cell equipped with full fledged laboratory facilities shall be set up to carry out the environmental management and monitoring functions.

 

xii.          As proposed, Rs. 12.00 Crores and Rs. 1.20 Crores shall be earmarked towards total capital cost and recurring cost/annum for environmental pollution control measures and judiciously used to implement the conditions stipulated by the Ministry of Environment and Forests as well as the State Government. A time bound implementation schedule shall be submitted to the Ministry and its Regional Office at Bangalore to implement all the conditions stipulated herein. The funds so provided shall not be diverted for any other purpose.

 

xiii.         A copy of clearance letter shall be sent by the proponent to concerned Panchayat, Zila Parishad/Municipal Corporation, Urban Local Body and the local NGO, if any, from whom suggestions/representations, if any, were received while processing the proposal. The clearance letter shall also be put on the web site of the company by the proponent.

 

xiv.         The project proponent shall upload the status of compliance of the stipulated environment clearance conditions, including results of monitored data on their website and shall update the same periodically.  It shall simultaneously be sent to the Regional Office of the MOEF, the respective Zonal Office of CPCB and the PPCB.  The criteria pollutant levels namely; RSPM (PM 2.5 and PM10), SO2, NOx (ambient levels as well as stack emissions) or critical sectoral parameters, indicated for the projects shall be monitored and displayed at a convenient location near the main gate of the company in the public domain. 

 

xv.          The project proponent shall also submit six monthly reports on the status of the compliance of the stipulated environmental conditions including results of monitored data (both in hard copies as well as by e-mail) to the Regional Office of MOEF, the

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respective Zonal Office of CPCB and the APPCB. The Regional Office of this Ministry / CPCB / APPCB shall monitor the stipulated conditions.

 

xvi.         The environmental statement for each financial year ending 31st March in Form-V as is mandated to be submitted by the project proponent to the concerned State Pollution Control Board as prescribed under the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, as amended subsequently, shall also be put on the website of the company alongwith the status of compliance of environmental conditions and shall also be sent to the respective Regional Offices of the MOEF by e-mail.

 

xvii.        The Project Proponent shall inform the public that the project has been accorded environmental clearance by the Ministry and copies of the clearance letter are available with the APPCB and may also be seen at Website of the Ministry of Environment and Forests at http:/envfor.nic.in. This shall be advertised within seven days from the date of issue of the clearance letter, at least in two local newspapers that are widely circulated in the region of which one shall be in the vernacular language of the locality concerned and a copy of the same should be forwarded to the Regional office.

 

xviii.       Project authorities shall inform the Regional Office as well as the Ministry, the date of financial closure and final approval of the project by the concerned authorities and the date of commencing the land development work.

 

12.       The Ministry may revoke or suspend the clearance, if implementation of any of the above conditions is not satisfactory.

 

13.       The Ministry reserves the right to stipulate additional conditions if found necessary. The Company in a time bound manner shall implement these conditions.

 

14.       The above conditions shall be enforced, inter-alia under the provisions of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008 and the Public (Insurance) Liability Act, 1991 along with their amendments and rules.

 

                                                                                                                    (Dr. P.L. Ahujarai)

Scientist ?F?

 

Copy to: 

1.    The Secretary, State Department of Environment, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Mantralaya, Hyderabad.

2.    The Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhavan, CBD-cum-Office Complex, East Arjun Nagar, Delhi-110032.

3.    The Chairman, Andhra Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, 2nd Floor, HUDA Complex, Maitrivaram, S.R.Nagar, Hyderabad- 500 038.

4.    The Chief Conservator of Forests (Central), Regional Office (SZ), Kendriya Sadan, IVth Floor, E&F Wing, 17th Main Road, Koramangala, Bangalore-560034.

5.    Monitoring Cell, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Paryavaran Bhavan, CGO Complex, New Delhi- 110003.

6.    Guard file./ Record file/Monitoring file.

                                                                                                                                                      (Dr. P.L. Ahujarai)

Scientist ?F?