NLMK Upgrades Lipetsk Steelmaking Facilities
09/24/2010 - Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) has completed the reconstruction of gas exhaust ducts and the secondary emissions collection and cleaning system at its Lipetsk site.
Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) has completed the reconstruction of gas exhaust ducts and the secondary emissions collection and cleaning system at its Lipetsk site. The work was performed as part of the reconstruction at BOF Shop #1, a key environmental project forming part of the second stage of NLMK’s Technical Upgrade Program.
This measure, undertaken at a cost of RUR6.6 billion (over USD200 million), will reduce the environmental impact of steelmaking facilities by over 50% and enable the plant to use collected gases for in-house power generation. The project represents a vital stage in expanding steelmaking capacities after the launch of Blast Furnace #7 (with 3.4 million tonnes capacity) which is currently under construction at the Lipetsk site.
NLMK has been working on the step-by-step installation of a new aspiration system for its three BOFs, in full compliance with the most advanced ecological requirements, since 2009. Employing innovative technical solutions, the single highly efficient system manages emissions collection and cleaning of dust formed during the BOF loading and tapping stages, helping to curtail the plant’s environmental impact.
Since the launch of NLMK’s Technical Upgrade Program in 2000, the company has completed or is working to complete 12 large-scale projects involving highly-efficient environmental protection technologies. The total amount of investments into promoting the ecological program over this period exceeded RUR13 billion. As a result of these investments, over the last 10 years NLMK’s air emissions decreased by 36%.
Owing to NLMK’s environmental efforts the city of Lipetsk was excluded from the list of Russia’s highly polluted cities in 2005. This list is compiled based on the observations of Russia’s Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Agency and published in the Natural Resources Ministry’s annual Governmental Report on the State of the Environment in the Russian Federation.
In 2010, NLMK is planning to direct over RUR4 billion toward funding ecological projects at its main production site in Lipetsk. This is the company’s largest amount of funds into the environmental program since the launch of its upgrade plans. The plant’s environmental management system is certified to be in compliance with the international standard ISO 14001-2004. NLMK also successfully passed this year its annual oversight audit conducted by an independent certifying body TÜV Rheinland Cert GmbH (Germany).
