Russian steelmaker Metalloinvest has increased the output capacity of blast furnace (BF) #2 at its Ural Steel plant to its planned capacity of 2,000mt of pig iron per day.
BF#2 is now running at an annual rate of 760,000mt and the company is gradually increasing its capacity to reach its set technological parameters. With this increase, the company expects its total iron output to rise to 2.7mn mt by the end of this year, of which 1.5mn mt will be commercial iron, it said in a statement.
The reconstruction of blast furnace #3 is expected to start as early as this month, the firm stated. Re-equipping these blast furnaces will reduce the company’s coke consumption, helping Metalloinvest reduce its steelmaking carbon footprint.