During 2023, the Zaporizhstal iron and steel works allocated upwards of UAH 750 million for projects to maintain stable and reliable operation of its main production facilities, marking a 50% increase in investment as compared to 500 million invested in 2022. Overall, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Zaporizhstal has invested more than UAH 1.2 billion to upgrade production equipment and treatment facilities.
Let’s let the numbers speak for themselves regarding the effects of the full-scale invasion on Zaporizhstal’s operations. The production figures of the iron and steelworks for 2021 – 4.4 million tonnes of hot metal, 3.7 million tonnes of steel and 3.2 million tonnes of rolled products – are comparable to the total outputs for the previous two years: 2022 and 2023 respectively. Despite the under-utilised production capacity, blackouts and terror by the aggressor country, we continue to implement the investment programme to maintain equipment reliability and stable operation and bolster the national economy on the way to victory,” said Roman Slobodianiuk, General Director of Zaporizhstal.
Under the circumstances of the full-scale invasion, the programme focused on maintaining and upgrading equipment to ensure its stable and reliable operation amid uncertainty. The key equipment upgrade projects were implemented in the sintermaking and blast furnace ironmaking processes of the steelworks. Among them were an overhaul of sintering machines of the sinter plant and maintenance of the gas cleaning systems with full support from the dedicated subdivisions to ensure the design performance of waste gas treatment: for dust – up to 30 mg/m3, for sulphur dioxide – below 400 mg/m3.
The blast furnace shop completed a major overhaul of blast furnace No 3. The service life and design characteristics of the facility were restored, and the efficiency of production and environmental equipment was improved. Hot blast stoves Nos 9 and 12, which operate in tandem with the blast furnaces of the steelworks, were overhauled.
Professionals of the Zaporizhstal iron and steelworks carried out a comprehensive overhaul of the hot rolling shop equipment: aside from the rolling mill, equipment of the tong cranes and continuous furnaces was upgraded. Mechanical, utility and electrical equipment of the main rolling mills of the industrial site was upgraded.
A number of projects were also implemented to ensure stable operation and increase the life of utility equipment and infrastructure facilities, improve the safety of the production process for personnel, digitalise the workplace, etc.
In 2024, Zaporizhstal plans to implement a capital investment programme of around one billion hryvnias. The programme is aimed at maintaining and modernising equipment, implementing functional programmes in the HSE, IT, social sphere, and many more.