– It is necessary for Ukraine to have at least three dozens of such enterprises as Zaporizhstal JSC then nobody in Europe will be able to compare with us.
The Prime-minister of Ukraine Yuliya Timoshenko visited Zaporizhstal JSC on the 10th of October. Her busy schedule included visits to the largest enterprises of the city, such as Zaporizhstal JSC and Motor Sich JSC, as well as visits to the construction site of the new bridges across the Dnieper River and to the historical-cultural complex “Zaporizhska Sich”.
At Zaporizhstal JSC the Prime-minister got acquainted with the construction process of pulverized coal injection plant in the blast-furnace shop and also visited the open-hearth furnace shop.
The Prime-minister came to the Works near noon. She was met by the Zaporizhstal JSC Chairman of the Board, Hero of Ukraine, Vitaliy Antonovich Satskiy, the Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board Artur Tazakhanovich Abdinov, Chairman of the Trade Union Committee Leonid Alexandrovich Bezlepkin and other top-managers of the Works. After exchange of greetings the guests and top-managers of the enterprise laid flowers on the memorial of Zaporizhstal soldiers, who died in the Great Patriotic War, and then headed for the shops.
The first stop was the construction site of the pulverized coal injection plant in the blast-furnace shop. The total value of the contract amounts to 22.9 million Euros. At present 100% of equipment has been paid for and delivered to the Works. Construction of this plant began in the first quarter of 2008. The general expenditures on the project implementation amount to 837.4 million UAH. On 01.10.09 527.4 million UAH have been spent, including construction and erection works amounting to 235.8 million UAH and equipment — to 291.6 million UAH. The total amount of metal constructions required for the installation of the pulverized coal injection plant amount to 7322 tons. At present 7162 t of metal constructions have been already manufactured, 6280 t of constructions have already been assembled, 7500 cubic meters of concrete have been laid. Completion of the construction and erection works is planned for December 2009. The pulverized coal injection is planned to be used in all the blast-furnaces. The planned consumption of pulverized coal 150 kg/t of pig iron will completely abandon the use of natural gas in the production of pig iron, saving 335.9 million cubic meters of natural gas per annum. It will likewise reduce the consumption of coke by 330.6 thousand t/year. The total reduction of natural gas consumption at the Works will amount to 40-45%.
The next stop is the open hearth furnace shop. Exactly here, in the glow of hot metal flowing into the ingot moulds, Yuliya Timoshenko talked with Zaporizhstal employees, and then came out to the people who were waiting for her on the site near the shop. And her appeal to them was as follows:
– I have come to the Works especially to say “Thank you” to all of you, to the 20-thousand collective of the Works and to its manager, Hero of Ukraine, Vitaliy Satskiy who holds the Works and all the social objects with a firm hand, as well as to the owners of the Works who modernize and reconstruct production. And do you know what is pleasing? The fact, that you have begun a powerful modernization during the crisis, when everybody is groaning and feeling bad. When the whole country has set a task to consume coal instead of natural gas Zaporizhstal JSC builds one of the biggest installations which uses pulverized coal and decreases the consumption of gas by 50% at the Works. This is a great achievement. The General Director of the Works and the owners promised to begin construction of the converter shop as soon as the crisis ends. I think that this will be a wonderful gift for Ukraine, because our metallurgy will become stronger.
The health of the city and the region depends on how everything proceeds. The fact that efficient ecological programs are being carried out at the Works is a great achievement too, because they require larger expenditures and investments. Most of the factories in Ukraine after privatization have got rid of the social sphere: hostels, hospitals, sports facilities. Zaporizhstal JSC not only retained its social sphere but is supporting it worthily. One of the few training grounds in the country is your property. It seems to me that already nobody in Ukraine maintains kindergartens — you are ‘the last of the Mohicans’. All that you do — you do for people. And that is why we value you. If Ukraine had at least three dozens of such factories, then nobody in Europe will be able to compare with us.
The meeting was over, and Yuliya Vladimirovna headed to her car through the ‘live corridor’. She shook hands with the Zaporizhstal workers on her way and said “Thank you! ” Then the Prime-minister went to the Khortitsa Island where the historical-cultural complex ‘Zaporizhska Sich’ was built on Zaporizhstal JSC’s money.