Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) plans to start several investment projects within this year including a reconstructed blast furnace, a power plant, and an oxygen and gas cleaning plant.
The company also launched its reconstructed Mill 1700 on Jul 16, following the announcement of additional investments.
Blast furnace No.11
One of the biggest projects will be the construction of blast furnace No.11 to be funded through a deal with Paul Wurth, a subsidiary of SMS Group, made at the end of June. The construction will span over three and a half years and cost RUB61.3bn. Blast furnace No.11’s working volume will be 3,800m3 with a capacity of 3.7mn mt of pig iron annually.
MMK will be able to lessen harmful emissions by 6,600mt and carbon emissions by 1.1mn mt annually through the advanced technology and equipment that will be used at the blast furnace, as well as the retiring of some outdated furnaces.
Mill 1700
MMK halted operations at Mill 1700 in February 2020 for reconstruction and resumed operations at this plant on Jul 16.
Victor Rashnikov, chairman of MMK’s board of directors, stated that the mill’s projected capacity, 60,000mt per month, can be achieved in the near term through this reconstruction and the unit will be able to produce 350,000mt annually.
Other plants
The company also plans to build a combined heat and power plant to produce air blast for the new blast furnace, recover up to 500,000m3/h of gas and produce up to 100MW of electric power. Construction will cost RUB21.6bn and is expected to begin in December and last for three years.
MMK also intends to reconstruct its gas-cleaning plant complex at the oxygen converter shop, which has a capacity of 10mn mt per year. The project is estimated to cost RUB3.5bn ($46.9mn). Through this reconstruction, dust emissions from the shop will decrease by a minimum of 500mt annually.
It also plans to invest RUB2.7bn in a new integrated gas-cleaning unit for EAF No 1. to reduce dust emissions by 300mt/year.
Within the next three years, MMK will construct a new oxygen unit at a cost of RUB18.9bn and will be able to produce 60,000m3 of oxygen and nitrogen per hour. Completion of the air separation unit is estimated for November 2023 and the storage system by June 2024.