On October 13, Czech Republic-based hard coal and coke producer New World Resources NV (NWR) announced that its wholly-owned Czech subsidiary OKK Koksovny as (OKK), Europe's largest producer of foundry coke, has commenced trial operations for its newly built coke battery at the Svoboda coking plant in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
According to NWR's statement, the project is a key part of the company's €63 million 2010 capital investment program, which is going to allow OKK to consolidate all coke production at a single, more efficient coking plant. New technologies installed in the battery enable it to meet the most stringent European Union environmental standards and legislation.
The new battery project started in mid-2008 and is scheduled to become fully operational in the first quarter of 2011.