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Rautaruukki to modernize Raahe Works Blast Furnaces

04/27/2009 - Rautaruukki has decided to modernise the two blast furnaces at its Raahe Works in Finland during 2010 and 2011. In the same context, the company will also make environmental investments to significantly reduce adverse environmental impacts and energy consumption at the works. 

Rautaruukki has decided to modernise the two blast furnaces at its Raahe Works in Finland during 2010 and 2011. In the same context, the company will also make environmental investments to significantly reduce adverse environmental impacts and energy consumption at the works.

The company has also decided to restart blast furnace 1, which was shut down in December 2008, to prepare for the disruption to production due to downtime whilst refurbishment is being carried out and to safeguard uninterrupted customer deliveries.

It is planned to bring modernisation of blast furnace 1 at the Raahe Works forward by three months so that work begins in April 2010. Rautaruukki plans to overhaul blast furnace 2 during 2011, although bringing the modernisation of blast furnace 1 forward would also allow the overhaul of blast furnace 2 to take place already in 2010. Any decision to bring forward the blast furnace 2 project will be made separately. Both blast furnaces will be shut down in turn for around two months during the modernisation project.
 
In connection with the project, Rautaruukki will switch over to using only iron pellets instead of sinter as a raw material in the iron-making process. Because of this change, pellet conveyor systems, receiving hoppers and a briquetting plant will be built at the works. The sinter plant in current use will be closed down by the end of 2011.
 
During the modernisation project, environmental technology at the works will be improved by, among other things, deploying more efficient filter systems and by converting the hot water systems to cold water ones. Closure of the sinter plant and the environmental investments to be carried out will significantly reduce dust, sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions, and cut energy consumption at the works.