Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH (SZFG) has invested in a new major plant within the metallurgy area, namely the coal-injection system for the A and B blast furnaces. This plant has now commenced operation and is already reducing the costs for pig iron production.

In the past, oil was used in the blast furnace process as a replacement reducing agent for coke, which is now replaced with ground coal. The blast furnace process requires reducing agents in order to allow the oxygen to be separated from the ore.

SZFG produces 4.3 million metric tons of pig iron a year. Initially around 370,000 metric tons of coal a year will be processed in the new system. Long-term plans envisage this figure to rise to 700,000 metric tons.

Due to the increase in oil prices in recent years, the project is very cost efficient, even in light of volatile price developments. The Salzgitter Group invested some 78 million euros for the system's construction.

The coal is transported to Salzgitter by train and ship through the Hansaport group port in Hamburg. New conveyor systems were therefore installed in the factory harbor. The core of the investment project is the 70-meter high coal grinding and drying plant where the coal is dried and ground in order then to replace the oil and external coke in the A and B blast furnaces. Construction commenced in January 2014 and the system was already operating early in the spring of 2015.

The major share of the steel sections for the coal grinding and drying plant was manufactured by the sister company Peiner Träger GmbH.

distributed by