New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) An upgraded blast furnace of Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) was inaugurated Tuesday by Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) Chairman C.S. Verma.

The Blast Furnace-2 was upgraded at a cost of Rs.805 crore as per SAIL’s plan to take hot metal production to 23.5 million tonnes by 2012-13.

The upgradation has increased the life span of the furnace by 8 years.