NLMK increases use of secondary energy sources

TRT’s are used to generate energy through the channeling of excess blast furnace gas pressure. To date, blast furnace gas was directed to the heat power plant and the recovery cogeneration plant for energy generation; but the potential of excess blast furnace gas pressure had not been harnessed.

The total design capacity of the two turbines that form the TRT complex is 28 MW. The TRT facility will receive gas from blast furnaces No. 6 and 7, with the project increasing the plant’s energy self-sufficiency from 54% to 56%; and reducing the amount of energy that must be purchased for the plant by 200 million kWh per year, which accounts for approximately 6% of total purchased energy.

Investment in the TRT project totals around 1.9 billion rubles; resulting in a payback period of about 18 months.

NLMK Vice President for Energy Alexander Starchenko said: “TRT energy generation is ‘green’ because the process of energy generation does not require the burning of fuel, but rather secondary resources are used. The project will not only cut our energy costs but also improve our environmental footprint. Efficient use of the potential that already exists within our production environment and a high level of sustainability are key goals of NLMK Group’s development strategy that we are ever striving towards.”

Over the last three years, NLMK Group has implemented a number of large investment projects aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of operations and increasing the share of electric energy generated using by-products. An example is the new 150 MW recovery cogeneration plant installed at the Lipetsk site. It was constructed along with a modern electric air-blowing station installed to meet the needs of blast furnaces 6 and 7. NLMK also built a modern air separation unit that produces 34,000 cubic meters of oxygen per hour.

VIZ-Steel (Yekaterinburg) launched an air separation unit to produce nitrogen with a capacity of 8,000 cubic meters per hour.