The Ukrainian steelmaker Zaporizhstal has announced that as of December 2008 it has stopped its blast furnace (BF) No. 4 for reconstruction.
The reconstruction in question will be carried out in two phases. The first phase, which includes the construction of a new base under the BF, is to be realized in 2009, while the second phase of reconstruction will be carried out in 2010-2012.
By the end of the current month, Zaporizhstal is to start the removal from the BF of the residual materials and refractories.
Zaporizhstal's BF No. 4 was constructed in 1948, and to date has produced a total of 46.332 million mt of pig iron.