OREANDA-NEWS. Metinvest organized a media trip for public representatives and journalists to a Sinter Plant in Austria. Similar Sinter Plant will be constructed by Siemens VAI at Yenakiieve Steel soon. Adoption of European practice will promote environmentally friendly production in Yenakiievo.

The delegation was comprised of Valeriy Oleynik, Mayor of Yenakievo, Alexander Podkorytov General Director of Yenakiieve Steel, environmental specialists, teachers, students, as well as members of Yenakiievo and Donetsk media.

Siemens VAI CEOs met our delegation in Linz. Specialists of Siemens Company demonstrated how advanced technologies could help to develop efficient production with minor environmental effect and answered all the questions addressed by our journalists.

Since media trip participants wanted to gain the field experience, they visited Voestalpine Stahl, where Siemens VAI Sinter Plant is being successfully operated.

One of the major advantages of the Sinter Plant is the MEROS system, which analogue will be installed at Yenakiieve Steel soon. MEROS gas cleaning plant will help to reduce dust emission by 7 times. Specific emission factor of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, dioxides and heavy metal compounds will also decrease considerably. The unit is equipped with off-gas and dust recirculation system which enables both off-gas and dust recycling as well as raw-materials and energy saving.

If implemented, MEROS process will increase construction project value by 30%, which amounts to USD 360 mln. Nevertheless Metinvest management is set for implementing this very system, since it is considered to be the best in Europe. It is also planned to put up a covered stockyard (raw materials lay-down area), that will eliminate another source of dust emission from the outset. New Sinter Plant construction will help to reach European Standards of Environmental Performance Index.

"We visited Sinter Plant and found out neither dust emission nor off-gas there", - shared his impressions Valeriy Oleynik, Mayor of Yenakievo. – "Linz used to face the same problems 15 years ago, but they managed to overcome them through close cooperation of municipal authorities, iron and steel works management and Siemens VAI. In 3-4 years with new Sinter Plant start up, Yenakiievo citizens will breathe the same air as people in Linz do."

"I’m glad that Yenakiievo community representatives have got an opportunity to make sure that it was right decision to choose this project for Yenakiieve Steel", – highlighted Aleksander Podkorytov, General Director, PJSC Yenakiieve Steel. – "Our new Sinter Plant will be even better than the one in Austria, since we order more advanced equipment. Here in Yenakiievo we are apt to implement all Voestalpine achievements".