Ukrainian steelmakers cut gas consumption due to new coal injection facilities

Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises have continued the upgrading of blast furnaces by installing coal injection facilities amid gas price hikes and tough competition on the domestic and foreign markets in 2012.
Mr. Anatoliy Starovoit, director general of Dniepropetrovsk-based Ukrkoks association of coking and chemical enterprises, said that in 2013 smelters plan to produce 13.5 million tons of pig iron with coal injection technology out of the year’s target of 30 million tons. However, Starovoit did not specify the share of pig iron produced in 2012 with coal injection technology.
In his words, coal injection facilities are being used or will be shortly used at 13 blast furnaces.
Mr. Starovoit said that “Coal injection facilities are in operation or being commissioned into industrial operation at Zaporizhstal (two blast furnaces), Donetsk Iron and Steel Works (two blast furnaces), Alchevsk Iron and Steel Works (four blast furnaces) and Mariupol Ilyich Iron and Steel Works”.
The Dnipropetrovsk-based Metallurgprom association of metallurgical enterprises said that as of December 1st 2012, 27 out of 36 blast furnaces (75%) were in operation, 19 out of 21 converters (90%), 8 out of 16 open hearth furnaces (50%), and 5 out of 15 electric furnaces (33%).
Thus, over a third installed blast furnaces employ coal injection technology, which is about half of those in operation.
Mr. Starovoit said that “Ukraine produces about 300,000 tons of such coal, while a total of 1.8 million tons is needed. Ukraine will buy about 10 to 10.5 million tons of coking coal or high-quality concentrate abroad for coal injection facilities and coke production this year”.
He said that consumption and imports of coking coal would not increase because of a reduction in its consumption of coke by blast furnaces.
He said that “The peers in Russia note that high prices of gas have made the upgrading of our blast furnaces more active, while they do not work in that direction, which may become a problem for them under market-oriented economic conditions with the WTO membership”.
He also said that blast furnaces at ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih and Dneprovsky Iron and Steel Works named after F. Dzerzhinsky would be transferred to pulverized coal fuel in the near-term outlook.
He concluded that “Economic feasibility will facilitate the introduction of coal injection in all the blast furnaces in Ukraine, which will boost the competitiveness of pig iron production”. (SteelGuru)