The construction of No. 5 blast-furnace at Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Nizhny Tagil JSC (part of Evraz Group) has reached its final stage. The builders completed mounting of the stoves, the furnace unit and the casting beds. All parts of the blast-furnace equipment, including the software, have already been tested. The first hot proving of all the furnace complex units is scheduled for September 26, 2006.

The blast-furnace will be able to produce about 1.7m tons of cast iron annually. It is equipped with the fully enclosed casting beds and a new external cooling system; it will also implement some principal novelties in loading technology. An improved construction of the ash chute is going to prevent any reused water outflow. The blast-furnace aspiration system will essentially improve the working environment at the blast-furnace plant of the Complex. The ‘green’ components of the project amounted to over one-fifth of the total cost.

It took over 5,000 people and a number of foreign contractors as well as those from Nizhniy Tagil and other Russian cities to complete the project, reports the spokesperson for the Complex.