Green light for hot metal modernisation
The Düsseldorf district authority has granted approval to ThyssenKrupp Stahl AG for the construction of blast furnace 8. The investment is the centrepiece of a modernisation programme for the company"s hot metal base in Duisburg-Hamborn, which also includes the relining of the nearby blast furnace 9.
The 41-year old blast furnace 4 will then be shut down and kept only as a back-up unit. The concept is to be implemented by 2008 at a total cost of 340 million Euro.
Dr Karl-Ulrich Köhler, Chairman of the ThyssenKrupp Stahl AG Executive Board says: "Approval by the Düsseldorf district authority for the construction of blast furnace 8, on which we will be spending 200 million Euro alone, is of major importance not just for our company but for the region as a whole.
"The investment will bring long-term improvements to the job situation and the environment in the industrial city of Duisburg".
Once in place, the blast furnace will allow annual production of around 17 million metric tons of hot metal in Duisburg for many years to come — some 55% of Germany"s total output. This will stabilise ThyssenKrupp Stahl"s hot metal base for the production and processing of steel at its German plants.
It will also ensure annual supplies by of 1.3 million tons of hot metal to the Ruhrort site of Mittal Steel GmbH for the next 20 years, for the long-term production of long products there.
In the medium term, the project will directly secure 1200 jobs and indirectly 3600.
The approval also paves the way for a significant improvement in emissions, as the new blast furnace 8 will feature advanced de-dusting equipment. In fact, 30% of the investment costs alone will be spent on environmental protection measures.
In addition to the new unit, the hopper car discharging station for blast furnace 9 will also be equipped with a new de-dusting system as a voluntary measure at an additional cost of more than 20 million Euro.
The 41-year old blast furnace 4 will then be shut down and kept only as a back-up unit. The concept is to be implemented by 2008 at a total cost of 340 million Euro.
Dr Karl-Ulrich Köhler, Chairman of the ThyssenKrupp Stahl AG Executive Board says: "Approval by the Düsseldorf district authority for the construction of blast furnace 8, on which we will be spending 200 million Euro alone, is of major importance not just for our company but for the region as a whole.
"The investment will bring long-term improvements to the job situation and the environment in the industrial city of Duisburg".
Once in place, the blast furnace will allow annual production of around 17 million metric tons of hot metal in Duisburg for many years to come — some 55% of Germany"s total output. This will stabilise ThyssenKrupp Stahl"s hot metal base for the production and processing of steel at its German plants.
It will also ensure annual supplies by of 1.3 million tons of hot metal to the Ruhrort site of Mittal Steel GmbH for the next 20 years, for the long-term production of long products there.
In the medium term, the project will directly secure 1200 jobs and indirectly 3600.
The approval also paves the way for a significant improvement in emissions, as the new blast furnace 8 will feature advanced de-dusting equipment. In fact, 30% of the investment costs alone will be spent on environmental protection measures.
In addition to the new unit, the hopper car discharging station for blast furnace 9 will also be equipped with a new de-dusting system as a voluntary measure at an additional cost of more than 20 million Euro.