SMS Siemag Receives Order for Integrated Steelworks for Greenfield Project in Venezuela
09/04/2013 - SMS Siemag has been awarded a major order by Siderúrgica Nacional in Venezuela for the supply of a new integrated plant complex for the production and processing of steel.
In the first phase, the order will comprise an electric steel plant, a continuous caster and a heavy-plate mill. In the second stage, which will come into effect shortly after the first phase, a ladle degassing plant and a Steckel mill for the production of hot strip will complete the plant complex. The scope of supply for SMS Siemag includes the complete technological equipment, commissioning and comprehensive training for the customer’s personnel.
The overall capacity of the new plant complex will amount to 1.55 million tons of liquid steel, from which heavy plate and hot strip will be produced in the downstream production facilities. The new plant complex will be located in Ciudad Piar in Bolívar State and shall promote the region's industrial development.
The X-Melt® steel plant will consist of an ARCCESS® electric arc furnace with a capacity of 200 tons and a rating of 220 mega voltamperes. It will be equipped with an SIS oxygen injection system. A ladle furnace provides for the exact adjustment of the chemical composition and temperature of the liquid steel. Furthermore, SMS Siemag will deliver the additives supply system and a gas cleaning system.
The single-strand X-Cast® continuous caster will be designed for the production of slabs with thicknesses of 180 and 250 millimeters and widths of 800 mm to 2,100 mm. It will be a vertical bending plant with a radius of 9.5 meters and a metallurgical length of 31.5 meters. The technological equipment of the caster will include several Intelligent Slab Casting (ISC®) modules which have a decisive impact on quality and production.
The X-Roll® 3.8-m heavy-plate mill will consist of a reheating furnace with a capacity of 280 tons per hour, supplied by SMS Meer, the descaler, the mill stand with edger, the plate cooling system, the hot plate leveler, a walking beam cooling bed, a double-side trimming shear and a cross-cutting shear as well as the cold plate leveler. The heavy-plate mill will be designed for an annual production of 356,000 tons and produce plates with a maximum width of 3,400 mm and thicknesses between 8 mm and 100 mm. In the second phase, the rolling mill will be extended by a twin-stand Steckel mill for the production of 844,000 tons of hot strip per year.
SMS Siemag will supply the entire electrical and automation systems for the new plant complex. The X-Pact® automation package will include the process automation (level 1) and the technological process models (level 2). The automation system will be tested beforehand using the Plug & Work method developed by SMS Siemag. This ensures set-up of the systems for faultless sequences and perfect operability prior to installation.
The order also comprises an extensive training program. About 160 new SN employees will be prepared for their future tasks by participating in the Plug & Work tests, theoretical training courses and hands-on training.
An important milestone in winning the order was to secure the financing of the project. In this context, a consortium of European banks provides a buyer’s credit secured by Hermes for the financing of the SMS Siemag supply share.
Pictured below: The new plant complex for Siderúrgica Nacional in its final stage of construction.
Siderúrgica Nacional is a state-owned company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It will realize the construction of the overall plant together with the Brazilian company Construtora Andrade Gutierrez S.A. on the basis of an EPC contract (engineering, procurement and construction).
