Guangxi Autonomous Region-based Chinese steelmaker Liuzhou Iron and Steel Co. has announced that its blast furnace No. 4 commenced production operations on September 3, following the completion of construction work.
Construction of the blast furnace No. 4 which has a capacity of 2,600 m³was started on July 12, 2011, being carried out by China First Metallurgical Group Co. Built with an investment of RMB 135 million ($21.3 million), the blast furnace is expected to have an annual production capacity of 2.25 million mt. With the addition of the new blast furnace which is the steelmaker's largest blast furnace, the iron-making capacity of Liuzhou Steel will increase to 11.5 million mt per year.