Severstal, one of the key steel-producing groups in Russia, has successfully commissioned its investment project aimed at the increase of pig iron and coke production. The new facilities will help the company to eliminate its raw materials’ deficit and to increase overall efficiency.
Severstal has just launched its new blast furnace with a designed capacity of around 3 million mt of pig iron per year. The first heat and the first pig iron volume is expected to produce on December 11. With the new facility, Severstal’s total pig iron capacity will reach 12.2 million mt. The company is expected to increase the pig iron usage in the oxygen converters and EAFs, while the excess volumes may be sold to the free market, SteelOrbis has learned. With time, Severstal may stop one of the existing blast furnaces for maintenance.
In addition, the company has started operations at its new coke battery, which consists of two blocks. Each of them is capable of producing 700,000 mt of coke per year.
Severstal has also advanced in its pickling line project realization. According to sources, the company is finishing the test operations and the facility will be launched by the end of the year.