THE ECHO - Ferrostaal

NEW BLAST FURNACE COMPLETED FOR ARCELOR
READY FOR
BLASTING
THE ECHO 1/2006 29
Steel is one of Brazil’s most important exports. Thanks to the
country’s rich deposits of iron-ore, the production of hot liquid
metal (or pig iron) is continuing to grow. This summer, Blast
Furnace 3 will be completed for CST Companhia Siderúrgica
Tubarão and will be ready to start “blasting”. A consortium
comprising MAN Ferrostaal, Voest Alpine Industries UK and Paul
Wurth is responsible for the turnkey construction of the project.
The Brazilian steel giant Companhia Siderúrgica Tubarão (CST) is
currently in the process of increasing its total output of pig iron
from 5 to 7.5 million tons per year. The third furnace has already
been constructed in Vitória. It must now undergo various stages
of functional testing. Once it is fully operational, the maximum
annual capacity of the furnace will be 3 million tons of hot metal.
With the project come a number of economic advantages: The
unemployment rate in Vitória and in the state of Espírito Santo
has fallen and investment in this project is playing an important
part in the local economic upturn. During the main installation
phase, some 12,500 people were working on CST’s various
construction sites in Vitória. Despite some obstacles (the weather
and strikes), the construction of Furnace 3 remained on schedule.
In the final phase alone, 2,500 people were working around the
clock to complete the work for the consortium. As a result, the
testing and commissioning phase of the furnace began in April
as planned.
LONG-STANDING COLLABORATION
Over the past ten years, MAN Ferrostaal has worked closely with
CST to help it achieve its plans for expansion. In 1996, CST awarded
a contract for the turnkey construction of Furnace 2, which
increased its production of hot metal by 1.4 million tons per year,
to a consortium comprising MAN Ferrostaal, MAN GHH and DME.