OREANDA-NEWS. Delegates of the World Steel Association conference held in Moscow visited NLMK Kaluga, a new generation EAF plant and part of NLMK Long Products, a leading manufacturer of long steel for construction in the Central Federal District.

Representatives of leading steelmaking companies from China, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and Belarus familiarized themselves with the plant's modern operations and advanced technologies; and discussed the situation on the construction steel market and the company's production plans with the management.

The launch of NLMK Kaluga in July 2013 became the Event of the Year in Russian ferrous metallurgy. The project is based on the mini-mill concept of locating EAF steelmaking and rolling operations in close proximity to sources of raw materials and consumers of finished goods.

NLMK Kaluga is a leader among EAF mills in terms of productivity, energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.

Alexander Burayev, General Director of NLMK Long Products, said:

"The high interest that leading industry experts have in our plant can be explained by the fact that we are using the most advanced equipment and technologies available. Our production process is designed with the use of innovative solutions that ensure a high level of resource efficiency, product quality; and industrial and environmental safety. NLMK Kaluga's experience is interesting not only for our Russia colleagues, but also for foreign steelmaking leaders."

NLMK Kaluga is a next-generation EAF mill, part of NLMK Group's Long Products Division. The opening of NLMK Kaluga in July 2013, was recognized as the most important event of the year in Russian steelmaking by the Metal-Expo 2013 international exhibition, held in Moscow.

Investment in the construction of the plant totaled more than RUB 38 billion, of which around RUB 7.5 billion was spent on environmental protection measures.

The plant is located in the Vorsino industrial park in Kaluga region, which has 33 companies among its residents. The plant is 73 km away from Moscow by road, and a little over 90 km by rail.

The plant is located in the centre of Russia's largest long steel consuming region, the Central Federal District. The region accounts for approximately 30% of long steel consumption in Russia, and only 9% of its production. The region benefits from a surplus of scrap, NLMK Kaluga's key feedstock material, which accounts for 2.7 million tonnes per year. Scrap is supplied by NLMK Group's in-house scrap collecting network, Vtorchermet NLMK.

NLMK Kaluga's steelmaking and long product capacities are 1.5 million tonnes and 0.9 million tonnes per annum, respectively. The facility is uniquely equipped in Russia to produce the widest range of premium-grade long products for use in construction.

The launch of NLMK Kaluga has helped to tackle the current shortage of steel facing the Central Federal District, and has provided high-quality, in-demand steel products to the construction industry in Moscow, Moscow Region, and the wider Federal District.

The mill outperforms similar Russian companies in terms of efficiency. Electricity consumption per tonne of finished product at the mill is 10% lower than the Russian average; natural gas consumption is 18% lower; and raw material usage efficiency is 4% higher.

NLMK Kaluga is equipped with the best environmental technologies. The mill's purification systems trap more than 99% of atmospheric pollutants, which is several times better than the Russian average. The closed-loop water cycle completely eliminates any waste water discharge and significantly reduces water consumption when compared to similar systems. Production waste is recycled into inert materials used for applications such as road construction.

The launch of NLMK Kaluga has created 1,250 new, qualified jobs at the mill and 600 jobs in the service sector, and has provided work for related businesses in Kaluga Region.