SOHAR : Jindal Steel Oman’s Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) plant has hit a new global high, and the numbers tell quite a story.

In May 2026, the plant produced 185,710 tons of DRI in a single month, running at 249.6 tonnes per hour. That beats its own previous best of 183,629 tons, set just two months earlier in March 2026. Midrex Technologies, the original equipment manufacturer behind the plant’s shaft furnace design, has confirmed this as the highest monthly output ever recorded among similar 6.5-metre shaft furnace DRI modules anywhere in the world.

The daily numbers are just as impressive. On 22nd May 2026, the plant produced 6,113 tons in a single day, running at 254.7 tonnes per hour. This edges past the earlier record of 6,075 tons, achieved on 29th April 2026.

But the real story may be one of consistency, not just peaks. From 4th January to 11th July 2026, the plant ran continuously for 188 days without a single trip or shutdown. That’s ten days longer than its previous best streak of 178 days, recorded between August 2022 and February 2023.

According to Midrex, Jindal Steel Oman’s Sohar facility now stands as a benchmark for all 6.5-metre shaft furnaces globally, delivering output 33% higher than its original design capacity of 1.5 million tons over 8,000 operating hours.

Plant officials say the achievement didn’t come from any single breakthrough, but from sustained discipline. The 188-day uninterrupted run, they note, has proven to be the most effective maintenance strategy the plant has adopted. High efficiency, reliability, standardised operations, and a culture of proactive problem-solving all played a part, backed by a team that worked as one system rather than isolated departments.

For Jindal Steel Oman, the milestone adds to a growing list of records at the Sohar site, and reinforces the plant’s standing among the world’s most efficient DRI operations.