Russia-based leading global iron ore and hot briquetted iron (HBI) producer Metalloinvest has announced that it has signed a contract with a consortium of companies comprising Austria-based Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH and US-based Midrex Technologies, Inc. to build a third hot briquetted iron (HBI) production facility (HBI-3) at Lebedinsky GOK (LGOK) in Gubkin in the Belgorod region of Russia. The new plant, which will have a production capacity of 1.8 million mt of HBI per year, will be the largest HBI module in the world.
Within the framework of the contract, Siemens VAI and Midrex will be responsible for the design, production and installation of equipment, as well as for level 1 and 2 automation. The MIDREX® direct reduction process was chosen in 2005 during the development of the second HBI plant at LGOK, HBI-2, which was launched in 2007. The plant currently runs at full capacity and produces more than 1.4 million mt of HBI per year. By leveraging the experience from HBI-2, Metalloinvest has decided to use MIDREX® technology for the expansion of HBI production and the construction of a new third production module.
With the increased production, Metalloinvest is responding to the growing demand for hot briquetted iron in Russia, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.