TPT May 2007

Industry News

Interpipe and Danieli collaborate on new large-scale electric steel mill

One four-strand FastCast bloom caster and one five-strand billet caster will be equipped with the latest generation of tundish and mould design, hydraulic oscillators and all means to enable high-speed casting of Ø 150-470mm quality round billets and blooms. The meltshop will include all auxiliary plants and equipment, including material handling system, fume dedusting plant and cranes. Danieli Automation will supply all electrical systems and advanced, fully integrated automation system for the entire plant.

Leading steel company Interpipe has awarded a major new contract to Italian company Danieli to build a state-of-the-art electric steel making facility. Upon completion, the facility is expected to be the largest of its kind in Ukraine and western Europe. The contract was signed in Kiev at a ceremony attended by Interpipe’s founder Mr Viktor Pinchuk and senior management from both Interpipe and Danieli. The new facility represents an investment in excess of $610mn, and will have the capability to produce 1.32 million tons of round billets and blooms per annum. This will provide Interpipe’s manufacturing mills with high quality steel for the company’s pipes and wheels. With construction due to start in 3-5 months, the site of the new mill will be within the grounds of the company’s largest existing mill in Dnepropetrovsk, the Niznedneprovsky Tube Rolling Plant (NTRP). Interpipe is a global producer of steel pipes and wheels, and one of the fastest

growing producers in eastern and central Europe. With sales in excess of $1.5bn, the company produces 4.3 per cent of the world’s seamless pipes and 12.8 per cent of railway wheels. Commenting on the project, Mr Alexandr Kirichko, managing director of Interpipe said: “This facility really is state-of-the-art. It will allow us to make an eight fold reduction in our gas consumption and a two and half fold reduction in emissions overall. We will be creating 500 new jobs for the local community – and above all, we will be in a position to provide our customers around the world with better products more efficiently.” The new meltshop will feature all the latest Danieli technologies and high-tech equipment available in steelmaking and casting. It will include a 160t twin shell, inert roof-type LF and a double-tank VD equipped with a 4-stages 400kg/h steam ejector vacuum pump. The split-shell FastArc AC EAF will operate based on 100 per cent scrap and will be equipped with the latest technology in chemical energy injection and HIREG electrode digital regulation systems.

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The new facility represents an investment in excess of $610mn, and will produce 1.32 million tons of round billets and blooms per annum

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Mr Gianpetro Benedetti, chairman and CEO of Danieli, states “At Danieli, we have great expertise in building these ‘mini mills’ for mining and smelting complexes and are delighted to be awarded this prestigious contract by Interpipe. Danieli will be managing the construction as a turnkey project, including all the technological production, the auxiliary plants and services along with the all of the infrastructure, civil works and support buildings. This facility will be the first of its kind in the Ukraine, which is very exciting for both Danieli and Interpipe.” Mr Viktor Pinchuk, founder of Interpipe added, “The future of Ukrainian industry is not just about modernising existing mills and factories, many of which were built over the last 50 to 100 years – we also need to invest in the new, high technology manufacturing facilities. I am very pleased that through working with partners like Danieli on projects such as this, we are making a significant step forward in the building of a modern industrial infrastructure for Ukraine in the 21 st century.”

fi Signing the contract in Kiev: Mr Franco Alzetta (left), executive vice president of Danieli, and (right) Mr Alexandr Kirichko, managing director of Interpipe

Danieli Headquarters – Italy Fax : +39 0432 598289 Website : www.danieli.com

Interpipe – Ukraine Fax : +380 562 389482 Website : www.interpipegroup.dp.ua

M ay /J une 2007