NLMK to increase pig iron capacity

Overhaul of the BF will not impact Novolipetsk’s production programme as BF No.5’s productivity will improve; and performance of other BFs will increase over the course of the year.

Novolipetsk currently operates five blast furnaces: No.3 (1.3 million tonnes per year); No.4 (2 million tonnes per year); No.5 (2.8 million tonnes per year1); No.6 (3.2 million tonnes per year); and No.7 (4.2 million tonnes per year). The latter, launched in 2011, is one of the most efficient blast furnace in the world.

Novolipetsk is successfully implementing an efficiency improvement programme. As a result, 2014 saw record performance achieved throughout the site’s value chain. Steel output grew by 1.3% compared to 2013 reaching 12.56 million tonnes, with capacities running at 100%.

Productivity of all blast furnaces was increased as a result of improved pig iron smelting technology, mastering pulverized coal injection and increased operational efficiency; with daily output increasing by an average 2.3% year-on-year to reach an average 36,000 tonnes of pig iron.