Novokuznetsk Iron and Steel Plant (NKMK), a subsidiary of Russian steel producer Evraz Group (Evraz), has decided to temporarily shut down its last operating blast furnace (BF) No. 5 starting from April 15, 2009, citing the sharply reduced demand for steel products caused by the financial crisis.
According to the information issued by Evraz, the incomplete use of NKMK's BF No. 5 makes the prime cost of its pig iron higher than that produced at Evraz' other subsidiary West-Siberian Steel Works (ZapSib). ZapSib's BF production facilities are considered to be among Russia's most modern and efficient, and so the transfer of pig iron smelting to Zapsib will allow Evraz to reduce production costs.
In 2007, NKMK's BF No. 5 produced 1.47 million mt of pig iron.