Russian steel producer NLMK Group has announced that it has started the large-scale reconstruction of the blast furnace No. 6 at its Lipetsk facility. The project will enable an eight percent increase in the blast furnace capacity to produce 3.4 million mt of pig iron per year. It will also significantly improve the environmental performance of the furnace and extend its repair cycle by 50 percent to 25 years. The upgrade will require more than RUB 34 billion ($510 million) investment.
According to NLMK, shutdown of the blast furnace is scheduled for May 2019. During the 130-day stoppage, the furnace will be dismantled and rebuilt from prefabricated modules. The project will make a significant contribution to the overall increase in steel output as part of the new strategic cycle.