Jindal Steel Turns to Syngas to Overcome Natural Gas Shortages

3 Minutes Read

April 06, 2026 12:27 IST

Jindal Steel pioneers the use of syngas in its steel production processes, offering a sustainable solution to natural gas shortages and promoting energy efficiency in the steel industry.

 Photograph: Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters

IMAGE: Photograph: Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters

Key Points

  • Jindal Steel has successfully deployed syngas in galvanising and colour coating line furnaces to mitigate natural gas, LPG, and propane shortages.
  • The company is the first in the steel industry to use syngas in these finishing processes, ensuring continuous operation.
  • Jindal Steel's use of syngas, produced from coal gasification, reduces reliance on imported coking coal and lowers carbon emissions.
  • The integrated deployment of syngas across the steelmaking value chain enhances energy self-reliance and promotes sustainable steel production.
  • Jindal Steel advocates for utilising India's coal reserves to reduce forex outflow and support low-carbon growth through coal gasification.

Jindal Steel on Monday said it has deployed syngas in galvanising and colour coating line furnaces to counter the shortage of natural gas, LPG and propane, enabling the company to sustain operations amid supply disruptions.

Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a clean-burning fuel that offers a way to convert waste and biomass into valuable energy, acting as a circular energy source.

 

The innovative switch to syngas -- produced through gasification of coal -- has allowed the company to mitigate fuel constraints in these critical finishing processes, where high-temperature furnaces are essential for applying zinc and colour coatings to steel strips used in construction, appliances and automotive sectors.

Galvanizing line furnaces apply protective zinc coatings to steel, while colour coating line furnaces cure organic paints on metal, both operating in continuous, high-speed lines to enhance corrosion resistance and durability.

Syngas Deployment in Steel Manufacturing

"In response to shortages of natural gas, LPG, and propane, Jindal Steel has now successfully deployed syngas in galvanising and colour coating line furnaces †marking the first such application in the steel industry. This has helped the company better mitigate fuel shortages in these unprecedented times," the company said in a filing to BSE.

The company achieved a global first by setting up the country's first coal gasification-based Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) plant, using syngas for iron-making, the filing added.

Jindal Steel further said it has pioneered syngas injection into its blast furnace, reducing dependence on imported coking coal and lowering carbon emissions per tonne of steel.

"This integrated deployment of syngas across the steelmaking value chain sets a new benchmark for efficiency, sustainability, and energy self-reliance," it said.

Benefits of Coal Gasification

"Synthesis gas from swadeshi coal can replace imported methanol, ammonia, ammonium nitrate, and LNG. India must utilise its vast coal reserves to future-proof low-carbon growth and reduce forex outflow.

"Coal gasification... will lower emission intensity, support CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) compliance, and strengthen our export competitiveness," P K Biju Nair, Executive Director Angul, Jindal Steel, said.

Jindal Steel said that it has pioneered the use of indigenous coal through advanced coal gasification, significantly strengthening the country's energy security while enabling low-carbon steel production.

With an investment footprint exceeding 12 billion dollars, Jindal Steel runs facilities in Angul in Odisha, Raigarh in Chhattisgarh and Patratu in Jharkhand, and maintains strategic operations across India and Africa.

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