Romania-based steel producer Liberty Galati has announced that its blast furnace No. 5 produced 2.1 million mt of hot metal in 2021, hitting a record since its installation in 1978. The company’s total liquid steel production was 2.35 million mt in the given year, due to a range of operational and management efficiency improvements, and it continues to increase its production level while transforming itself into a low-carbon greensteel producer.
In 2021, the company produced 1.62 million mt of hot rolled coil, up by almost 20 percent year on year, and the highest level since 2017. The company’s crude steel production totaled 2.3 million mt in 2021.
Liberty Galati achieved the highest production at its Galva line since 2000, with 222,000 mt last year, while its organic coated line also achieved the best production ever since commissioning in 2017, with 88,000 mt, up by 15 percent year on year.
According to the statement, the improvements in the company’s production performance were achieved through operational investments since 2019, including €13.5 million to increase the performance and reduce the costs of blast furnace No. 5, a €5.5 million project at the hot strip mill allowing it to benefit from better markets, and a €6.3 million investment in a state-of-the-art coating pipe line for the tubular products unit.
“We continue our efforts to increase the production level up to 3 million mt per year, and - after implementing our greensteel transformation plans - we target an even more ambitious 4 million mt,” Prasanta Mishra, executive director of Liberty Galati, said.
Liberty Galati’s greensteel transformational plan worth up to €1 billion, which aims to make the plant carbon neutral by 2030, will deliver two electric arc furnaces and one direct reduction plant, which will reduce carbon emissions per tonne of steel produced by up to 80 percent.