Austria-based plantmaker Siemens and its consortium partner Midrex Technologies have signed a contract with the largest iron ore producer in Russia, Metalloinvest Company, to expand the hot briquetted iron (HBI) production at Lebedinsky Mining and Processing Integrated Works (Lebedinsky GOK) in Gubkin, Russia.
According to Siemens' announcement, the existing Midrex HBI plant, delivered by the consortium of Siemens and Midrex, began operation in 2007 and is currently the world's largest briquetting module producing 1.4 million mt per year.
The new plant with a rated capacity of 1.8 million mt of hot briquetted iron per year will be the largest single HBI module in the world. With the expansion, Metalloinvest plans to meet the growing demand for hot briquetted iron in Russia, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.