The Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) has announced the recommissioning of blast furnace (BF) No. 4 at its main production site in Lipetsk, after a complete overhaul.
NLMK's 2,000 m3 BF No. 4, which has an annual capacity of 1.7 million mt of pig iron, was shut down for a five-month overhaul in November 2008.
As part of the overhaul, amounted to Ruble 180 million (approx. $5.53 million), NLMK has replaced the BF's No.4 refractory, renovated its charging equipment and air heaters, partially changed the furnace shell, and repaired its cast houses.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, in February 2009, NLMK also recommissioned its BF No.3, with a total capacity of 1.6 million mt per year, and its BF No. 2, with a capacity of 770,000 mt per year.
Currently, NLMK's main production site is running all of its five blast furnaces. Steel production in Lipetsk is expected to reach 8.3 million mt in 2009.