Severstal’s blast furnace No. 3 (BF No. 3) has been brought into a hot test phase at its Cherepovets steel plant within the miner’s Russian steel division.
The global, vertically integrated steel producer’s BF No. 3 is slated to have a yearly output capacity of more than 3mn mt of hot metal. The furnace contains the second-largest output volume capability at its Cherepovets steel facility. The Severyanka furnace in Russia holds Europe’s largest iron-producing blast furnace with over 5mn mt of annual capacity.
The steelmaker said the new blast furnace, entailing a total investment of over RUB24bn ($324mn), will increase steel and cast-iron production to assure steady operations at the Cherepovets mill, during its beginning stage of upgrades.
The engineering and technology used to operate BF No.3 will also abate environmental effects, the company indicated. Emissions from BF No. 3 is 53pc less than the total combined emissions from its blast furnaces No. 1 and No. 2.
The furnace also makes use of strong metal casing with refractory materials and a modern cooling system, which will increase operational life at the site to 25 years, up from 10-20, before requiring capital maintenance.
The Cherepovets iron and steel mill produces various flat and long-rolled products, including hot and cold-rolled flat products, galvanized/coated products, and long-steel applications. The facility has a production capacity of about 11.6mn mt of crude steel per year. Blast furnace No. 3’s construction began in October 2018.
($1 = RUB73.99)