Russian steelmaker, NLMK has completed the upgrade of blast furnace #4 at its Lipetsk location, raising its annual pig iron production capacity of 2.1mn t (1.9mn mt).
The company invested more than RUB 23bn ($308mn) on this project, which is expected to reach design capacity by the end of this month, it indicated in a statement.
The blast furnace is made with advanced material and technology and will ensure stable operation for the next 20 years, the company noted, adding that its dedusting system will capture the dust generated during production and reduce emission by 200 t annually. The company plans to use this filtered dust to produce iron containing briquettes or use it back in the blast furnace process, thereby reducing waste.
NLMK’s production capacity is more than 17mn mt annually across its plants in Russia, Europe, and the US.
($1=RUB 74.63)