Tata Steel to Invest ₹40,000 Crore to Expand NINL Capacity in Odisha

Tata Steel is set to undertake a major expansion at Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL) in Odisha, with the company planning to invest ₹40,000 crore to add 5 million tonnes of annual steelmaking capacity at the Kalinganagar facility.

Tata Steel CEO and Managing Director TV Narendran said the company has already announced the expansion, which will focus on long products. The proposed investment is part of Tata Steel’s broader growth plans in the Kalinganagar region, one of its key steel manufacturing hubs.

The expansion will significantly increase NINL’s scale. The facility currently has a steel manufacturing capacity of 1 million tonnes per annum and had remained shut for more than three years because of financial difficulties and a lack of funds.

Tata Steel completed the acquisition of NINL on July 4, 2022, through its erstwhile subsidiary Tata Steel Long Products for ₹12,100 crore. The acquisition brought the Odisha-based steel producer under the Tata Steel group and paved the way for the revival and expansion of the facility.

Speaking on the company’s growth plans on the sidelines of the Indian Foundation for Quality Management Symposium 2026 in New Delhi, Narendran highlighted the planned 5-million-tonne expansion at NINL.

The Kalinganagar region has become increasingly important to Tata Steel’s manufacturing strategy. The company completed the Phase II expansion of its Tata Steel Kalinganagar plant in May 2025, taking its overall steelmaking capacity in India to 26.1 million tonnes.

Narendran said Kalinganagar is among the most advanced steel plants in the country, with facilities catering to sectors such as automobiles and oil and gas. He also pointed to the benefits of a stronger product mix and lower cost structure.

The proposed NINL expansion is expected to strengthen Tata Steel’s long-products portfolio while increasing its manufacturing scale in Odisha. The ₹40,000-crore investment also signals the company’s continued focus on capacity growth and operational consolidation around the Kalinganagar industrial cluster.