This modern and efficient machine, worth CZK 1.5 billion (US$74 million), will replace four existing coal-fired boilers and significantly reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust. Along with the ongoing desulphurization project and the project to reduce nitrogen oxides, the new boiler is a part of the overall greening and modernization of the power plant with a total value of CZK 3 billion (US$148 million). These investments will help reduce the company’s environmental footprint and ensure its power plant will comply with the European emission limits before they come into effect.
 
ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava has signed a contract with the Finnish company Valmet, the winner of the tender for a circulating fluidized bed boiler, which will be installed and operational within three years. The fluidized bed boiler burns coal more efficiently than the current coal fired boilers and has a guaranteed efficiency of more than 92% while producing very low amount of emissions thanks to its high-quality design. It is equipped with facilities for desulphurization and reduction of nitrogen oxides emissions. At the same time the fabric filter will ensure a perfect de-dusting of flue gases.
 
“The boiler is the biggest environmental and modernization investment project since the 1990s when the mini-mill was built. It will fully replace the existing facilities while reducing emissions of gases and dust,” said the CEO of ArcelorMittal Ostrava, Tapas Rajderkar. "I am really proud that such important projects are implemented at ArcelorMittal Ostrava in spite of the continued unfavorable economic conditions. They will ensure not only a great reduction in emissions, but also the future of the company and its competitiveness in the market.”
 
The new boiler is a part of a complete greening and modernization of the power plant worth CZK 3 billion, which will secure a non-stop and energy-intensive process of steelmaking and reduce the environmental impact. All coal-fired boilers of the power plant are going through fundamental changes: the new boiler (K14) will replace the four oldest ones, the desulphurization is being finalized at other four boilers (K8–K11) and three of them (K8–K10) will undergo denitrification — reduction of nitrogen oxides emissions.
 
"We will be ready to commission the new boiler in the middle of 2016. It represents a very interesting contract for us; we are dealing with technology, environmental aspects and also demanding requirements of steelmaking operations. We appreciate the fact that it is us to offer new solutions and that we can make use of our 30-year experience in this field," said Kai Mäenpää, managing director of the Finnish company Valmet, the K14 contractor.
 
While the turnkey boiler project worth CZK 1.5 billion will be realized by the Finnish company, the desulphurization and the denitrification facilities will be delivered by Czech companies. ZVVZ-Enven Engineering is currently completing a half-billion CZK project to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and CKD Praha DIZ is responsible for a project worth a billion CZK of denitrification. Both companies employ local firms as subcontractors. Among these are for example VÍTKOVICE POWER ENGINEERING a.s., VS-Invest a.s., ELDAT, a.s., VAMOZ-servis a.s., Siemens s.r.o., ORGREZ a.s. and others.
 
Pavel Marik, project manager from ZVVZ-Enven Engineering, confirms high demands for this new technology: "We had to design and complete the desulphurization in a way to ensure a non-stop operation. Necessary parts of the facility are therefore duplicated so that no desulphurization or boiler operation failure occurs in the case of malfunction."
 
Boilers at the power plant also consume the gas generated during hot metal production. This leads to a significant reduction in environmental impact compared to other coal-powered power plants or heating plants. In this way the power plant of ArcelorMittal Ostrava can substitute up to one third of coal. "The gas from the coke plant and blast furnaces is used in boilers of our power plant. Thus we avoid burning of 200 metric tons of coal every year, which is an environmentally-friendly solution as well," said Petr Baranek, chief green officer and director of ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava.

* Fluid boilers utilize the principle of fuel combustion in a fluidized bed, which creates conditions for a uniform combustion of the fuel throughout its volume. This allows a better fuel burning, i.e. high efficiency of a boiler at lower temperatures of combustion while reducing the harmful combustion products.
 

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ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava is a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal Ostrava. It has a total designed capacity of the boiler house of 1,435 metric tons boiler/h, the designed capacity of the power plant is 254 MW. All the generated energy, together with compressed and blown air or steam, which are also produced by the power plant, is used directly by the steelmaker. During the heating season, the power plant also supplies heat to inhabitants of Ostrava-Jih district.
 
ArcelorMittal Ostrava a.s. is the largest steelmaker in the Czech Republic and part of the world’s largest steel and mining group ArcelorMittal. It has an annual production capacity of 3 million metric tons of steel. Besides the Czech market, the company sells its products to more than 40 countries around the world. ArcelorMittal Ostrava and its subsidiaries employ more than 7500 people. Average income of its employees amounted to CZK 34,352 in 2013. ArcelorMittal Ostrava produces iron and steel in compliance with all environmental legislation. It conforms to the EU best available techniques (BAT) emission limits that will come into force in 2016. The sole shareholder is ArcelorMittal Holdings A.G.