The recent decision of the Supreme Court capping iron ore production at 30 million tonnes per annum in Karnataka has not deterred iron and steel companies from expanding their capacities. Both the existing and new steel companies have lined up expansion plans as well as set up greenfield plants in the ore-starved Karnataka state.

While newcomers like Arcelor Mittal and Posco are still awaiting allotment of captive mining leases before commencing work on their respective six million tonne per annum greenfield steel plants in the state, existing manufacturers like JSW Steel Ltd, BMM Ispat Ltd and Kalyani Steel have planned expansion.