State-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has licensed a pipe coating facility at its Rourkela division to discover the niche market of coated pipes.

Mr. S.K. Roongta, the company’s chairman, kicked off the plant at Rourkela steel plant, some 378 km from Orissa's capital Bhubaneswar Friday.

Mr. Rahman Khan, deputy general manager (Public relations) Rourkela Steel Plant, gave the information.

The coating plant, the first for the leading steel maker, has been established with a total investment of Rs 68 crore with technical expertise from Italian pipe coating supplier Socotherm SpA.

The new facility is in strict compliance with the pollution control rules as stated by European standards.

The coating defends the pipes from rust, mechanical abrasion and indents, he said, adding that the new facility has an annual coating capacity of 60,000 tonnes.

The Rourkela Steel facility, the first integrated one in the public sector, was established with German partnership, with an installed capacity of one million tonnes.

Afterward, its capacity was increased to 1.8 million tonnes. (With Input from Agencies)