Russian steel producer NLMK Lipetsk has announced that it has embarked upon a large-scale overhaul of its steelmaking capacities, namely basic oxygen furnaces (BOFs) and associated dedusting equipment in its BOF Shop No. 2.
In a press release, the company stated that the overhaul will increase the shop's productivity by 18 percent from 8.5 million mt to 10 million mt of steel per year and cut air emissions by 70 percent Investment in the project will total RUB 23 billion. The two-phase project will be completed in late 2020. NLMK Lipetsk has already started the first phase of the overhaul, which is expected to take around five months: the 300-mt BOF No. 2 will be replaced with a 330-mt BOF, off-gas ducts will be upgraded, and an efficient BOF gas capturing and purification system will be installed. The second phase, involving the replacement of BOF No. 3 with a more efficient BOF, will begin in 2020.