Russian steelmaker NLMK Group has announced that its subsidiary NLMK Lipetsk has completed an upgrade of its blast furnace No. 4 with a capacity of 2.1 million mt of pig iron per year. The total investment exceeded RUB 23 billion ($308.50 million).
The new technical solutions and advanced materials will ensure stable operations of the furnace for the next 20 years. Following the furnace overhaul, carbon emissions are expected to be reduced by 200 tons per year. After the associated upgrade of air heaters is completed in 2022, the reduction in gross emissions will total 7,700 tons per year.
The equipment is expected to reach its design capacity by the end of February this year.