Minera del Norte (Mimosa), a subsidiary of Mexican steelmaker Altos Hornos de Mexico (AHMSA), signed a $25 million loan agreement with the North American Development Bank (BDAN) and the nation’s mining development trust (FIFOMI) to install an emission control system at AHMSA’s steel mill facilities.
According to NADB, the emission control system will capture 97 percent of the particulate matter released into the atmosphere by secondary production activities at AHMSA’s steel mill facilities in Monclova in the state of Coahuila.
The seven-year loan agreement will allow AHMSA to install and operate a control system with a collection capacity of up to 29,333 cubic meters per minute, resulting in 30,070 mt per year.
“This loan, the first that NADB is providing for a project of this kind in Mexico, will set a precedent for other large industries to take actions to combat air pollution in the border region,” said Geronimo Gutiérrez, Managing Director at the bank.
Construction of the emissions control system should begin in June 2016 and will take about 18 months to complete.