OREANDA-NEWS. On October 05, 2007 NLMK has commissioned reheating furnace # 4 following its reconstruction for heating slabs before hot rolling.  The furnace, which has a capacity of 320 tonnes of steel per hour, will allow a 50% reduction in energy consumption (natural and Blast Furnace gas) decrease environmental impacts by almost 30%, reported the press-centre of NLMK.

Reheating furnace # 4 is the second furnace at the production site in Lipetsk (reconstructed furnace # 5 was commissioned in 2004).  The design features provide high quality slab heating and flats production by using state-of-the-art resource-saving and environmentally friendly technologies.

The unique performance capabilities of the furnace (low steel losses and high uniformity of reheating) allow it to process products for both carbon and grain-oriented steel production. 

This project, implemented within the framework of the NLMK’s Second Phase of Technical Upgrading Programme, is worth over RUR1,5 billion 

For reference:
The company plans to increase the output of finished products  from 5 to 9,5 million tonnes per year by 2011 through the upgrade of NLMK’s existing rolling facilities, construction of new process lines and the  acquisition of new rolling facilities. Total investments into the 2nd Phase of the Technical Upgrading Programme will amount to over USD4,0 billion.