Lanco's plant at Srikalahasthi, AP consists of two batteries with 34 ovens each with a level coal charge capacity of 14 tones and coking cycle of 48 Hours. The plant is producing to the rated capacity of 1,25,000 tons/year.

Each battery is connected to an independent stack. The flue gas will be tapped to the waste heat recovery boilers just before the stack for steam generation for the 12MW captive power plant. A comprehensive coal handling and blending plant with a coal tower of 200 MT capacity, a quenching tower with wet quenching and a coke cutting and screening plant service both the coke oven batteries. The plant is equipped with a coal charging car, hot coke quenching car and a leveler cum pusher car.

Four different types of coals can be blended together to get the desired coal properties in charging coal. The blend is set considering high coke yield and the optimum coke quality. The low sulphur content in the coal blend ensures the same in the coke also which makes it suitable to be used for a mini blast furnace and also ensures low sulphur oxide emissions through the stack exhaust. Complete combustion of the flue gases in the waste heat tunnels is maintained by maintaining the draft and adequate supply of air in tunnels ensures no exhaust of carbon monoxide and the presence of over 6% of oxygen in the stack exhaust. Particulate emission through the stacks is also very less as all the combustible particulates are completely burnt in waste heat tunnels. Thus the plant is operating satisfactorily under the operational regime that can meet the norms of environmental legislation.

The combination of low capital cost and the low operational costs per ton of coke produced and the excellent coke quality helps the company to maintain the cost of hot metal under control.

Now the company is about to commission a 12MW captive power plant to meet the power requirements of the total complex at Srikalahasthi comprising of a spun pipe plant, a mini blast furnace, a coke oven plant and a cement plant based on the waste heat recovery of the coke oven plant. This will also help to reduce further the cost of the ton of coke produced by about Rs.2000/-. There are plans to increase the plant capacity by 50% with the proposed installation of additional 34 ovens.

Now the company is setting up a stamp charging facility from SSIT, China which will increase the throughput of the plant and allow the usage of more inferior coals in the blend for the same quality of coke produced presently and in turn will lower the cost of coke produced.