Following normalization of the water level in Venezuela's Guri Dam, which supplies 70 percent of the country's electricity, and thanks to the lifting of the restriction of electricity for basic industries, Venezuela's nationalized steelmaker Siderurgica del Orinoco Alfredo Maneiro (Sidor) has revised its production goals and now estimates it will close the current year with a production exceeding two million metric tons of liquid steel.
Commenting on the issue, Sidor's industrial director Rubens Llanes said that the plant had been operating at 25-30 percent capacity utilization rate with a consumption of 300 MW, while in July this rate increased to 47 percent with the same energy consumption level, thanks to the ingenuity of workers. However, in August, with an additional supply of 100 MW, the plant managed to reach an operating rate of 60 percent, and for September this rate is expected to increase to 70 percent, according to Mr. Llanes.
"In the last quarter of this year, a 90 percent operation rate will be achieved, taking into account the shutdowns for maintenance at the steelworks," Llanes added.
Currently, Sidor operates with two blast furnaces in steel billet production to feed its wire rod and rebar mill, while it also operates two furnaces for steel slab production.
"We believe that by the end of September the two mills will be operating at full capacity, although this also depends on some external factors," Mr. Llanes concluded.