According to blast furnace specialist Paul Wurth, a unit of SMS group, the No. 7 furnace was put into service on 28 February, concluding a project that began in 2016. 

“With the aim of a record 18-month construction period, EVRAZ-NTMK strictly followed a very tight overall project schedule, which had to be matched by the systems and equipment suppliers. Paul Wurth’s international project team made it possible to fully satisfy the customer’s expectations in this regard,” the company said in a statement. 

The furnace has a hearth diameter of 9.8 m, an inner volume of 2,200 m³ and a nameplate capacity of 2.5 million tons. Paul Wurth supplied a Bell Less Top charging system, tuyere stocks and two sets of fully hydraulic tapping machinery, among other things.