NLMK’s Novolipetsk Lipetsk plant has finalized the ecological update of its converter shop No 2 at a cost of about 26 billion rubles ($356mn). The unit produces more than 60pc of the total steel production at the plant and now tests confirmed dust emissions fell by 2.5times and that annual production capacity at the shop rose by 15pc to 10mn mt from approximately 8.5mn mt prior to reconstruction.
NLMK, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, Rosprirodnadzor, and the Lipetsk Region Administration worked on the project that was initiated in mid-2019. Lipetsk has implemented five of the nine changes in the program and has until 2024 to implement the pending four.
Two converters and gas exhaust ducts were reconstructed along with the installation of a gas cleaning system that captures up to 99.9pc of dust.
Gases from the steelmaking process have also become a secondary energy resource for generating electricity at the new nearby power plant which will be operational in 2023. The use of the power plant is anticipated to reduce gas emissions by 650,000mt annually in the steelmaking supply chain.
($1=RUB73.08)