Transformation gathers pace at Czech Republic site
9 June 2023
The vision for LIBERTY Primary Steel’s electric arc furnace (EAF) future in Whyalla can now be seen in very real terms with the ongoing construction and installation of EAFs at the LIBERTY Ostrava operation in the Czech Republic.
Complementing the April announcement of a new Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) and Direct Reduction Plant for the LPS steelworks in Whyalla, it is full steam ahead for the EAFs at LIBERTY’s Ostrava operation.
The Ostrava project is continuing at pace with a new energy bridge, which will distribute the gases and electricity cables necessary for operation of the new steel plant and other plants at the existing facility, currently under construction while planning for a change in the plant’s railway system and a number of related construction projects are also well underway.
This is positive news for the LIBERTY Primary Steel and SIMEC Mining operations in South Australia with the Ostrava furnaces being supplied by Italian company Danieli, the same company that has been contracted to supply the EAF in Whyalla.
LIBERTY Ostrava’s new hybrid electric arc furnaces are expected to be completed by 2025 as part of its CN30 plan. Hybrid Furnace Project Director at LIBERTY Ostrava, Roland Hinterreiter said the completion of the energy bridge had been scheduled for the end of May after which the installation of pipes and cables would follow.
“The pillars are being erected and the assembly of the supporting steel structure of the energy bridge, on which the pipelines will be laid, has already begun,” Roland said.
“Many of the pipelines, which all have different parameters and are around four and a half kilometres long, are being made at the Tubular plant of LIBERTY Ostrava.”
While the energy bridge is being replaced, the railway track, which had to be removed due to construction of the new energy bridge, is also being reinstalled.
A contract for the supply of the Danieli EAF at Whyalla was signed by GFG Alliance Executive Chairman Sanjeev Gupta during an announcement on April 4 that also included plans for a Direct Reduction Plant at the South Australian steelworks.
The supply contract enables Danieli to commission the construction of another cutting-edge electric arc furnace for GFG, which will initially be fed by domestic steel scrap and other Fe-bearing materials to deliver an expected 90% reduction in direct CO2 emissions compared with traditional blast furnace production.
Danieli’s patented Q-One technology, the first of its kind, provides capability for a direct feed from renewable power sources which could help to eliminate indirect emissions from Whyalla’s new steelmaking facility. As per the Ostrava project, these developments are important building blocks in the Whyalla’s CN30 plan which lies at the heart of LIBERTY’s global decarbonisation strategy to be carbon neutral by 2030.
MAIN IMAGE: Work continues on the installation of an electric arc furnace at LIBERTY Ostrava.
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